To Reach for the Stars
by Verse Gypsy
Summary: Part four of my series. This marks the first in the second trilogy. Set two years after Invasion, Mustang and the rest of the team are moving up and ahead in the world of superpowered heroics. New threats emerge, and the old world's enemies become new. Lemons present. Introducing a solid handful of characters, read on for the cameos.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I own none of this, except maybe my OC's.**

 **So, kicking off the next part of the series with this one. It originally was meant to bridge between the first trilogy and the second, but it kind of exploded out on me. I owe thanks to Illusorygentleman for his continued support and advice, and I really recommend his work. Totally go check that out some time, and leave him a review. And me, leave me a review please, I love interacting with my readers. I've got to have two or three by now. For those couple of you, thank you for your continued support and views!  
**

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December 23rd  
Metropolis  
2006 EST

If ever there was a chance to say that Hell had come to Earth, this was it. The Reach invasion had been child's play compared to the terror which had been wrought. The Boom tubes opened a little before sundown, and the Parademons had spewed forth, an unending tide of death and destruction; mere heralds for their master, Darkseid.

"Cover the evacuating civilians!" Fractal called out, ducking behind a wrecked car to avoid the fiery blast of a Parademon. The beast shoved the ruined vehicle away, and was prepared to belch flame again, when a devastating impact took it to the ground.

"Cover this!" Godiva said from the back of the creature. She wrapped her arms around its massive neck, planted her feet on either side of it, and wrenched, snapping the thing's neck and nearly twisting its head off in the process.

"Okay, yes that." Fractal said, sending his companion swarm out onto the streets to start breaking the damaged cars down into their constituent molecules, to fuel his efforts. Several cars were sacrificed to the greater whole, as the nanite swarm, obedient only to Fractal, began to swell exponentially.

In his state, Fractal was nearly defenseless, so Godiva ripped a lamppost from the ground and began swinging it like a baseball bat, swatting more of the Parademons out of the sky around them.

"Make it quick over there." Godiva called out, trying to ignore the cuts and burns covering her body. Her costume was in tatters, barely enough to protect her modesty, assuming she cared about such things.

"Almost finished, just say your prayers." Fractal said, using the steel, aluminum, and rubber from the cars, but also the trace amounts of precious metals one could find in an automobile, as well as the fuel, and willed his creation into being.

"I thought I told you I was atheist." Godiva countered, leaping high into the air to wrestle down another Parademon who'd dared fly into her coverage.

"I more mean to the Goddess you know quite well." Fractal retorted, and stepped into the swirling, amorphous mass of material which was currently coming together at his command. Steel became the skeleton, aluminum the skin, and rubber the muscles of his monster. A short convoy of semis, now abandoned, provided more than enough material to offer protection from the mindless creatures.

In the sky, the full moon grew darkened as storm clouds rolled in. Thick, black, and fearsome, they blotted the sky out, concealing the stars, and lightning began arcing across, as furious as the woman who commanded it.

A few blocks away, Daeva, her small body seeming bigger than life, stood on a rooftop, away from the traffic of the main swarms of demons. "I need them closer, to make sure it arcs correctly." She said, looking to one of the men to her side.

"I'll corral them." Mustang replied with a grin, and started eyeballing a good choke point. "Just say the word."

The storm belonged to her. The primal forces of nature were hers to command. It was thunder and lightning, her enemy, no, the world's enemy, and her. "Bang." She whispered into the whipping winds. At that moment, a massive group of the Parademons, swarming their way into the center of Metropolis, got hung up, smacking an invisible wall and turning into a pile on each other.

The lightning struck the gathered mass. There must have been a thousand of them in there. Another bolt, and another. Lightning was striking the same place, several times over, and it was at her will. The energy arced and coursed through the metallic and organic bodies of the mindless creatures. They were nothing but machines, driven by pain and subservient only to their master. And at that moment, they were even less than that, just molten, misshapen things, more detritus to fall to the ground.

"Air Force say their jets are clear." Koa replied, shouldering a massive multi-barreled rifle of Atlantean design. He began cutting the thing loose, unleashing his own storm of red energy bolts into another swarm of the Parademons. They didn't care, they just kept coming.

"My turn." Mustang drawled, and launched himself into the air. Doing some very quick estimations, he calculated his safe range, and worked out his boundaries. "All aerial members of the Justice League and gathered allies, you have five seconds to go to ground, on my mark." He said on the radio, and began applying his will to his work.

"Five." He said, and a torrent of laser blasts from Koa scratched several Parademons off his back.

"Four." Lighting kept striking, the bright flashes bringing down whatever they struck.

"Three." On the streets below, the Titan came to life, a massive monstrosity of metal comprised of microscopic machines, and it began going to work.

"Two." A single Parademon, separated from the pack, was nearly torn in half by a very unhappy blonde.

"One." Potential energy flooded the area Mustang had set out for himself, as Superman, Captain Atom, Wonder Woman, all three Green Lanterns, the Hawks, and a dozen others dropped low to the ground

"Mark!" He called out, and the potential energy became kinetic. The air was filled with a sharp, screaming sound, as even the air passing over the web of telekinetic filaments became cut. One could only imagine what it did to the swarm of Parademons.

On the roof, Koa had to cover his ears, enhanced as they were for his job beneath the waves. The extremely high frequency noise played hell on his biotechnologically enhanced hearing. He saw his partner count down, his hand hanging by his side, one finger every five seconds.

It rained gore and pieces of metal on the streets of the city as the last of the Parademons to swarm flew through the close knit mesh of filaments, their speed in flight their undoing. Mustang just stood there, unfazed, counting down the seconds. "Airspace is clear." He called over the radio after he ended his effect. "Looks like that was the last of them too."

"Good anchor, but it's getting bad here." Superman called over the radio. "Fractal, get your team here, we still have civilians to…" and then the communique went dead. Down below, several buildings got blown through by something. Something blue and red.

"We better go." Daeva said, and took to the skies herself. Koa slung his weapon over his shoulder and took off after them, taking long leaps from roof to roof, while Mustang followed to cover their backs.

Deke pushed his thoughts out, looking for one unique brain processing the entire scene.[You doing okay?] he sent to that magnificent mind, currently making those amazing leaps and connections.

[I am, be careful up there, and I love you.] Batgirl replied. She was down on the ground with the team, helping clean up the Parademons not caught up in Daeva's lightning, or her boy's web. She whipped a quick trio of kicks into one of them, rotating her body to work her way up, starting by striking it on the knee, then the hip, and finally springing off to drill it in the face. The maneuver brought a whole new shock of pain through her body. If her arm wasn't broken, she'd eat her cape.

Two of them slammed into each other as Miss Martian simply willed it. Blue Beetle was ripping them apart with his sonic cannons, while Superboy and Wondergirl set about bashing away. They were all tired, most were bleeding or burned, and Kid Flash was running on empty.

A few arrows flew across the street, one black, the other red, as Tigress and Red Arrow depleted the last of their ammunition, retorting to their bows and martial arts skills. Cheshire stabbed a few on a quick pass through, but she was bleeding and burnt too, like the rest.

A green mammoth wrapped its trunk around a fire hydrant and ripped it from the ground, allowing Aqualad to bring his water bearers to full. He used them first to drive several of the Parademons into a building, taking them temporarily out of the fight, and giving Bumblebee and Guardian a chance to keep them from getting back into the fray.

Not far away, Red Robin and Nightwing were disabling the Boom tube, making sure no more of the things could come through. "Back to it?" he asked his friend, mentor, and brother.

"Always." Nightwing said, and darted back towards the mix.

The Movers set down not far from where Superman had been blasted through the buildings, and set about covering more people as they fled the scene. At this point, with most of the League handling the straggling Parademons, it was a simple matter to direct people and cover their escape.

As the fight moved, the team got their first glimpse of Darkseid. Massive, terrifying, and utterly unconcerned about people trying to hit him. He grabbed Wonder Woman around the torso and tossed her, like a child might discard a toy, and his eye beams chased the Flash down the street, almost catching him. It was truly scary.

And apparently, the perfect opportunity to do something stupid. "Hey brah, the civilians are clear." Koa said, not even bothering to shoot at Darkseid.

"You got a plan?" Mustang asked his salt brother. A few months ago, Atlantis has begun recognizing formed familial bonds with surface dwellers, and Koa had insisted his team be recognized as his family. In all technicality, it was for more executive purposes, but he didn't care, Ohana was Ohana.

"I'll distract him, you hit him. Might be our only chance." Koa said, and set his giant gatling plasma rifle aside.

"Hell yeah." Mustang said, and began gathering potential energy. Physics class had almost done more for him than his med school courses in this regard. Instead of taking off and accelerating, he did all of his acceleration first now. The ground beneath him began bowling, the pavement cracking and compressing into a large semispherical hollow as the energy he was gathering couldn't be properly contained.

A block and a half away, his love silently cried out, and her pain fueled him. Hawkwoman knelt over her injured husband, and her anguish fueled him. Guy Gardner was furious at his inability to harm Darkside, and his will fueled him. The collective emotions of the people around Mustang drove him, pushing him into an even higher gear.

"Hey, big, ugly, and purple!" Koa called out after getting away from anyone else. "Yeah, you!" he said, when Darkseid turned to face him. "Your momma suck Cthulhu dick!" He shouted, and threw an empty city bus at him.

Darkseid casually blasted the bus with his eye beams, unsure what the thing was trying to accomplish, but enjoying the agony its failure caused. He turned, still on the path to conquest, when, some distance away, the sound barrier broke suddenly.

Mustang released that potential energy, allowing it to become kinetic, and he launched himself directly at Earth's invader. In the moment, he was on a ballistic path, ready to hit the monster once and send him packing back to wherever he came from. His efforts had hurt too many people he cared about, too many people he loved. Maddie was bleeding, Barbara was suffering, Tim was scared and M'gann was barely functioning. No, to hell with that, this ugly bastard needed to go.

Darkseid watched for a moment, and swatted the thing away as it came close, and carried on its path.

December 28th  
Boston, Massachusetts  
1022 EST

Pain, lots, and lots of pain. Horrible pain, stinging, aching, very prominent and insistent pain. All the colors of the rainbow, and all thirty two flavors.

Deke felt the tube in his throat first, and that had to go, yesterday. Trying to put as little effort as possible into using his powers, he deflated the balloon holding the tube where it belonged, and pulled the thing out, which of course hurt like the devil.

"Bloody hell, stop that!" He heard in a soprano voice with a British accent. "You're going to hurt yourself worse you stubborn mule!"

He coughed and heaved, trying to calm his gag reflex, as his vision grew into focus. Aasha was sitting across from him, in some kind of hospital room. She was dressed in a set of slightly too big scrubs, her hair was a mess and she had no makeup on. She rushed to him, tried all her might to sit him back down, and kissed him on the cheek. "Calm down and behave, I have standing orders." She said in her big girl voice.

She rarely did that, so it must be serious. Deke, still trying to get over extubating himself, and not that gently, tried to do as he was told while she rushed out of the room. He took a moment to glance at the equipment, and wasn't that offended that, despite all manner of pain, his vitals looked not that horrible.

A couple of people in scrubs rushed in, logging vitals and checking pupillary reaction. One of them, a middle aged black man with a stethoscope around his neck, seemed to be in charge. "Mr. O'Connely, I'm Doctor Franklin, you need to calm down. You're going to throw yourself into shock or ventricular tachycardia. We've already been warned that sedating you is worthless, so if need be, I _will_ have you fully anesthetized. Do I have your attention?"

"Yeah." Deke croaked, taking a deep breath and realizing that was a horrible, horrible mistake.

"You have a list of fractured bones as long as my arm, contusions over your entire body, you lost a lot of blood, and if that wasn't enough, you just work up from a four day coma. That being said, I understand you're a med student, so you should also know better, and you probably know what's going to happen in the near future."

"MRI's, CT's, therapy, exams, and the answer to my question." Deke said hoarsely.

"Your question?" Doctor Franklin asked as he eyeballed the young man's vitals on the equipment, satisfied they were leveling out.

"Where am I?" Deke asked, finally relaxing back into the pillow on his bed.

"STAR Labs Boston. You and the rest of the injured members of the Justice League and their allies were brought here for treatment." Doctor Franklin said. "I'm going to order you some hydromorphone, if, that is, you actually react to that."

Deke pondered it for a minute. "Go low on the dosage. I can self-heal but I can't be too messed up, and can you run me a banana bag with a side of glucose please?"

"I normally wouldn't, but if you promise to ask for a normal dose if the pain gets too bad, I'm willing to give you a chance." Doctor Franklin said, making some notes on Deke's chart. "We'll get you out of ICU in a few hours as long as you're showing signs of improvement. Also, I think you have a visitor."


	2. Chapter 2

December 28th  
Boston, Massachusetts  
1039 EST

In the doorway, sitting in a wheelchair, was the most beautiful sight in the world. His beloved sat there, being pushed by Aasha. Like his teammate, Barbara's hair (about half the length it was the last time he saw her) and makeup were in the screw it stage, and her eyes were red. She had her left arm and right leg in mesh frame casts, and she was also wearing scrubs, though she also wore large Holly Golightly sunglasses.

"Hey Cowboy." She said with a smile, waving to him. "We have to quit meeting like this."

"Yeah, we do." Deke croaked, and waited until the doc cleared the room. "How are you?"

"Broken radius and severely sprained knee and ankle. How are you?" She replied, so sweet and kind.

"Lot of hurt, and too tired to ignore it." He said. Aasha wheeled Barbara into the room completely, and whispered something into her ear. Babs nodded and then took her functioning arm and took his hand.

"I'm happy you're awake finally. I told the doctors here you were a sleepyhead." She said, and blinked hard, wiping her face on either shoulder. Once the adrenaline had worn off, she'd almost lost it when the Pararescue Jumpers had loaded him into the chopper with Green Arrow and Longshadow. It was bad enough Cassie had to pull her away to let them work.

She was able to hitch a ride to Boston with Hal Jordan, who'd been kind enough to offer a lift to anyone who didn't need critical care. STAR Labs was one of the few places with the kind of facilities some of the members of the League and their allies required, but they also kept enough people around to handle the 'normals' as well.

Once she'd woken up from having her arm set, she'd spent most of it worrying. Aasha, Cassie, Zee, and many others had taken turns trying to keep her positive, but still, a good portion was spent crying. It was clear to her, watching him get lifted off after the League had sent Darkseid back to wherever he came from, that she was profoundly in love with her boy.

"What'd Aasha whisper to you?" he asked, curious as to what it had been about.

"She reminded me that I couldn't kick your ass." Barbara said with a peculiar smile. "Damnit baby, why'd you try that stunt? You could have been killed. You nearly were!" She said, trying to rein her emotions in.

"But I didn't." He retorted, and that was absolutely not the correct answer. He knew he was in trouble before the words left her mouth.

"But you could have!" She snapped, but she calmed herself quickly enough. "Green Arrow told the doctors to consult me on what to do if you stayed in that coma too long. Me, Deacon. I have never been that scared in my life. I want to know why you did it, you owe me that."

Deke closed his eyes and took a long, but shallow breath. "I wanted to take him down. He, well, he just brought too much evil and when the time came for a stupid idea, I had to jump at it. I couldn't not do something about it."

"I am so mad at you right now." Barbara said, having to choke the waterworks back again. Three years ago, she'd fallen in love with him, and it had only gotten deeper and deeper.

"I'm sorry." He croaked. "I didn't want the world to be full of evil. I didn't want that world for you, or anyone else."

"I know you didn't." Barbara said, squeezing his hand. "I just wish you'd thought it through a little more. He put you through three buildings and a Humvee. I thought you were dead."

"I can't die yet. Too much left to do." He said, and rotated his hand, glad the docs had run his IV on the arm opposite the entrance to his room. A lot never considered that.

Barbara pulled her hand away the moment she felt the trippy full body wave that was a clear indication he was trying to realign her natural biorhythms and accelerate her healing. "No, you heal yourself. My arm's set and my leg's not that bad off. I'm already on over the counter pain relief."

"You before me. Always." He said, though he did mind her and stopped outputting what little energy he had left.

"No. Side by side. Always." She replied.

January 8th  
Greenup, Kentucky  
2230 EST

The much delayed League Christmas party had been fun. A little depressing since they'd said goodby to Hawkman, but still as festive as could be expected. Shayera had been in the best spirits she could possibly be in, given the circumstances, but she'd left plenty early.

Having a home so far away from any major population center had its advantage. The League had finally stashed a Zeta stop on his family's property, concealed in the barn which had been converted into a garage by his father years ago. Deke limped away from it slowly and waited for it to recognize Barbara, setting their gifts down on a workbench for a moment. He was in no way back to a hundred percent.

She walked in slowly behind him, still looking positively radiant in her lovely green dress, despite her arm being in a sling and the wraps she wore on her knee and ankle. She loved going to small parties, not so much on the big ones, but small get togethers were a whole other thing for her. "Did you have fun?" she asked him, smiling warmly, despite the chilly air blowing in through the barn.

"Yeah, I really did. Apparently, on enough pain medication, Doctor Fate's jokes are funny." He said, carefully picking up their presents.

"He wasn't telling jokes Cowboy." Barbara said, showing him the tip of her tongue. "Let's get inside though; I'm not dressed for this."

Since that statement was nothing but pure, irrefutable logic, Deke limped along with her towards the house. Barbara noticed something immediately, there were Christmas lights strung up all over the place, and there were a few lights on inside. "Did you decorate your house before the whole thing in Metropolis?"

"Nope." Deke drawled, using his powers to shovel the snow in front of them. The last thing either of them needed was to slip and fall. Of course, that presumed Barbara was actually capable of slipping and falling, which he didn't believe. "Papi did it for me when I told him I was bringing you here for Christmas. I texted him before we went to the party to tell him we were coming here."

"That was sweet of him. Are we visiting while we're here?" Barbara asked. They'd done the late Christmas by necessity at her Dad's apartment two days ago, and she was wondering what the Delgado family's holiday plans were like.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning if that's okay." He said, opening the door for her. The comfortable warmth of the house greeted her, and she slowly made her way into the kitchen, which, when she thought about it, was the only door she or Deke ever used. Was the front door just for show?

"It is." She said sweetly, and took a pit stop at the kitchen table to rest her sore leg. Deke set the box of their gifts down and they looked through them again.

"I can't believe I got Captain Marvel for Secret Santa. I've been dying to play this!" Barbara said, looking at the copy of one of her favorite video game series new offering. Sure, the big 'preowned' sticker had been hastily removed, but he was still a teenager, and he'd proven that Wisdom of Solomon thing in picking it out. "And you got Roy, he's a thoughtful guy."

"Actually, yeah, this is a really badass knife." Deke said, handing her the tactical knife Red Arrow had given him. She wasn't sure where he'd gotten it, but she couldn't deny it was indeed a badass knife. Paracord grip, bowie style with a protective finish. "Who'd you get?"

"I actually got your name first, but I put it back because that really wasn't fair." Barbara said. Deke made a gesture towards the fridge, and a bottle of water flew from it and right in front of her. She was thinking really loud. "Thank you Cowboy. I wound up getting Jaime's name, so I got him a new MP3 player after Wolf ate his last one."

Deke snickered. "I got Kristof. I almost put his back since we're on the same team, but Cassie got Gar, so I kept it. I got him that big Lego Death Star."

"Oh I bet he loved that." Barbara said, digging into her clutch and pulling out a bottle of prescription NSAIDs. She popped one and checked her watch, and then handed him his bottles of meds.

Deke frowned. He hated being this doped up, but he hated being in this much pain a little more. He popped one of the oxycodone, not bothering to split it, and chased it with Ondansetron. "He did love it actually. Even promised to build it by hand and send me pictures when it was finished."

"So, do you want to exchange gifts here or back at our place?" Barbara asked. She'd brought his present with her just in case.

"Here actually." Deke said, standing up and limping slowly to the laundry room. "But there's something I need to do first."

"Oh, what's that?" Barbara asked, curious. He walked back out with a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses, and sat them on the table. "Wine? That's a rare occurrence, and something you know you shouldn't be mixing with your meds."

"Yeah, but it called for it I thought, and I'm only having a little. More for atmosphere I suppose." Deke said, and opened the freezer, withdrawing a small box and setting it down next to the wine. He popped the cork with his powers, poured both of them a half a glass, and opened the box. Contained within was a little ice cream dish, which reminded her of dessert lasagna.

He summoned forks to them, and smiled at her warmly, inviting her to dig in. "Ice cream in wintertime. What is it with you and that?" Barbara asked.

"I dunno, just a thing I guess." Deke said. "You wanna go first?"

"Greedy." She teased with a warm smile, but she reached into her clutch and handed him a small wrapped package, with an SD card attached to the wrapping.

"I'll explain the memory card after you unwrap your present." She said, and watched as he shredded into the package with his fingers. Powers were cheating when it came to wrapped gifts. Period, full stop.

Her face lit up the moment his did. He pulled the fine linked silver chain from the box and looked at what was dangling from it. It was a guitar pick which had been set in a silver bezel. What was on it, however, was the most impressive thing. "This is autographed by Jon Bon Jovi." He said, blinking at his disbelief. "To me, it's autographed to me."

"Yes it is. He's a Jersey native too you know." Barbara said with a smile. She hadn't had to jump through any hoops to get it, mostly just put herself in the right place at the right time, with a fine tipped paint marker in her pocket.

"I love you so much." Deke said, leaning over and kissing his beloved.

"The SD card, well, that's got a rule attached. The images and video on it are your eyes only. Not even Aasha, got it?" She said with a naughty grin.

"Got it." He said with a derpy grin, slipping the memory card into his pocket. It was his turn though, and he took a deep breath to stabilize himself.

"So, we met three years ago. You helped me become a legitimate superhero. A force for good. More than that though, you loved me, and you've stuck by me. There's all kinds of poetry that can go along with that, but I'm just going to be straightforward here, your love is what gets me through the tough days, at school, at work, and while I'm on _the_ _job_. I figured out pretty quick that I needed you because of how much I loved you, but in retrospect, I think I know what need really means now in comparison." Deke said, digging into his pocket.

Barbara had her hands clasped to her nose and mouth in an almost prayer like position. Her expertly done mascara and eyeliner had already begun running too. She knew what was coming, and she allowed herself a moment of getting emotional.

Deke popped open the small, worn, black velvet covered box as he slipped painfully down to his knee. "Barbara, this is me. All I've got is my name and my love, but I want to share it with you, forever. Will you take that ride with me?"

She nodded happily, not really able to say much of anything, and offered him her left hand, the pain be damned. He slipped the gold ring with the _very_ modest diamond onto her finger, got to his feet, and pulled her close to him. She turned her head up to be kissed, and he happily obliged her, holding onto her and kissing her slow and long.

"How'd you know my ring size?" She asked once she'd gathered her composure and could properly admire the rather lovely piece of jewelry. It was well suited to her tastes; in no way ostentatious.

"I asked Mr. Pennyworth." Deke admitted, offering her a bite of their ice cream. "When I explained why, he was more than happy to help. He even told me where to take the ring to get it resized."

"Resized?" Barbara asked. She didn't care if it was used, she cared that he'd offered it to her, and everything that came with it.

"Yeah, uhm, that was my mother's ring." Deke said to her. "I wasn't kidding when I said she would have loved you. I know she would have approved."

"Oh hell, approval." Barbara said, quaffing the last of her wine and pouring another. "My dad's going to have kittens."

"No he ain't." Deke said with a wink. "Remember when he and I went to the gun range back before Thanksgiving?"

"You asked him then and he never told me?" Barbara said, a little annoyed at her dad for a moment, before letting it go. He loved her well enough to keep the surprise; she couldn't be upset at that.

"Yup. But, his blessing came at a price." Deke said, able to sit more comfortably as his meds began firing off. "I led by telling him I wanted to wait until after school, which I think was a big selling point for him, but he tacked on a rider. He says he'll still be a few years too young for grandchildren, so we have to wait a little while."

"I'm okay with that. I'd prefer some more time that's just us." Barbara said, admiring the ring again. It had taken her almost a year to become fully comfortable enough to talk about her sex life around her friends, but this warranted some phone calls and text messages. Tomorrow though, everyone except her dad could wait until tomorrow.

Deke finished his bite of ice cream before speaking. "Works for me too. I was going to wait until March tenth, but after everything that happened, I just couldn't hold it off any longer."

"We met on March tenth." Barbara said with a soft smile. Her ocean blue eyes were absolutely sparkling. "Lemme guess, you were going to suggest we patrol, and use it as a chance to lead us to the warehouse where we met?"

"I am too damn transparent. Yeah, that exactly. I didn't count on the warehouse getting burned down last June." He lamented.

Barbara took another bite of their ice cream and shrugged. "We met there, we didn't get our start there, but proposing in our apartment would have been a bit less romantic. There's good memories here, of family. This was perfect Cowboy."

"Thanks babe." Deke said, taking her hand and kissing it. "We can't exactly celebrate in the usual manner, but I think I know a way around it."

"I'm up to try, but I want to call my Dad first." Barbara said, finishing off what she felt was about half of the small dessert. She pushed the plate towards her boy and fished her phone out of her clutch. The first thing she did was take a picture so she could send it to him, and she then got up and went into the living room, taking her time to get there.

Deke took the opportunity to clean up their mess, recorking the wine and struggling to remember if it was supposed to upright or on its side once it'd been opened. He figured upright was the way to go, and stuck it in the fridge door. He paused when he heard Barbara's voice address her father as daddy in the most excited tone he'd ever heard her use, but he just kept on cleaning up, polishing off the remaining little bit of ice cream and running water in the bowl.

"Hey Mom, Dad, I did it." He said, looking to the sky. He liked to think his Dad had gotten a ticket to Valhalla since he'd died in battle, but he assumed it was up there somewhere too.


	3. Chapter 3

January 31st  
Gotham City  
0143 EST

"Oracle, what's the word?" Batman said, tapping his comm. Captain Boomerang lay crumpled at his feet, cuffed and disarmed, but the villain's goals in a city far from his usual haunts were still a mystery.

"I think I've got something." Oracle replied, from her seat in the Batcave. "There was a shipment of advanced tungsten alloys delivered to STAR Labs Gotham last night, and the composition is pretty close to Boomerang's… well, boomerangs."

"Good to know." Batman said, and knelt down to look at the Australian villain.

"So, you're looking for new and exciting ways to kill people? I'm whelmed." Batman said to Boomerang. "But I get the feeling you're not alone."

"Doesn't matter." Captain Boomerang said, spitting blood from his mouth. "That was just a side goal." He added with a self-satisfied laugh.

That was a problem. "Oracle, we've got something bigger." Batman said, keying his comm once again.

That was an understatement. "Yes we do. Arkham is reporting multiple security breaches, including a cascading power failure. I'm sending Red Robin to help."

"Fine." Batman said. Bruce never would have let this slip past him. He took another glance at Boomerang, and fired off a line. Gotham PD would be along to collect him. Right now, he had bigger fish to fry.

* * *

In the cave, Barbara was chomping at the bit. Her leg was almost healed, but almost wasn't enough. Since Bruce's disappearance, Dick had done a remarkable job of being the man, and that had included relegating her to command and control.

"I can help." Her fiancée, and that was still exciting to say, told her from his position on a weight bench, while he did some extremely light curls for physical therapy.

"You've got at least as long as I do Cowboy." Barbara said. She didn't add that she wanted nothing to do with her boy tangling with the Joker. "So we suck it up, no matter how much suck there is."

"I could coordinate the police or something, link them up, maybe help their efficiency." Deke offered as compromise.

"Maybe you could have not gone literally ballistic at Darkseid either." Barbara said, showing him the tip of her tongue. "Besides, the first time something goes pear shaped, you're going to get right in the middle of things. I know you."

"That's because you'd do it too." Deke retorted, switching arms. The curls hurt, even with ten pound dumbbells. He was due his pain meds two hours ago, but he was trying to step down on them, so he'd chosen to wait until after the therapy Doctor Thompkins had suggested.

"We're not talking about me." Barbara said with more than a little sass. "Nigh, erm, Batman, Gotham SWAT is on scene, and Black Canary is also incoming. We might not have the full breakout we expected."

"She's not the only one."

* * *

"You've lost weight." The Red Hood said as he popped shots at a charging plant creature.

"You've gained some." Batman retorted, whipping a spin kick into an inmate's face, one-shot flooring the guy before tossing an herbicide pellet into the maw of the plant monster.

More of the plant creatures were coming up out of the ground, but they were rapidly incenerated by blasts from the sky, where Starfire floated, almost bored looking. Below her, Arsenal lobbed a few arrows and switched to his cyberarm cannon.

"The family life is suiting me, what can I say? I get why he did it now." Jason said, holstering his pistols and going to fists.

"Dysfunctional as ours. I'm happy for you." Batman said, dashing off into the asylum with Red Hood and his merry band of outlaws. It was true too, all three of them had outstanding warrants for several crimes, several of them would carry charges worse than the things which got people locked up in the asylum they were trying to get back under control.

"Don't be too happy, if the Joker's around here, I still owe him." Red Hood said, throwing a vicious elbow into another inmate's face, before taking a hip shot at Mr. Freeze, blowing a nice little hole in his protective dome.

Batman frowned. He should have known Jason would've had an ulterior motive. Of course, he was also conveniently in Gotham. "You caused this, didn't you?"

"Hey, I'm hurt, and believe it or not, no, I didn't. I guess suspicion comes with the cowl."

"Can we after-school special later?" Arsenal asked, switching to his collapsible longbow. The wide open layout of the inmate cells in Arkham left him plenty of opportunity to really stretch the range of the weapon out.

"Yes, this talking is becoming tiresome." Starfire said, every bit the princess. She really didn't understand her place in the moment. It would have been just as easy to vaporize the whole place and start over, and probably safer too.

"Fine, later." Batman said, following the sounds of laughter.

* * *

"Red Robin is in the building, sending him your coordinates. Black Canary is outside, controlling the escapees with the police. Keep me informed." Barbara said, wishing her wheelchair had a recline function. She was only using it in the cave, more to help move around the massive computer than anything else.

She spared a glance at her boy, who was currently doing overhead presses, with ten pounds on the bar. When he caught her looking, he began struggling with the weight, grunting and groaning like a professional meathead. She giggled at him, but the giggles turned into laughter when he got the bar into the air. "I'm over nine thousand!" he declared.

"Yessir, I suppose you are." Alfred snarked, sitting at the conference table, going over totally unrelated information.

If he couldn't help Dick handle the Arkham breakout, he could at least help Alfred find Bruce. "Need a hand, Mister Pennyworth?" he asked, strolling over that way.

"Can you read Thai, Mister O'Connelly?" Alfred said with a frown. The computer was having a devil of a time translating what appeared to be a very colloquial dialect of the language.

"Well, uh, no, not so much, but I can read a map." Deke said, pulling a chair up. He used his powers to summon his meds and some water, and popped one. He'd stepped down off oxycodone, which he considered a win, but he wasn't quite there yet either.

"We have evidence he may be here, here, and here." Alfred said, pointing to Chiang Rai, where his trouble with the Thai languages was coming from, as well as Nanda Parbat, and Buenos Aires.

"You have a favorite?" Deke asked. He knew Nanda Parbat had significance to the League of Shadows, where Batman had received training before starting his career, but it seemed too easy. Batman never took a beeline anywhere.

"Master Damien is investigating Nanda Parbat, and has yet to contact us with his findings. I believe Buenos Aries might be the best place to look, but I don't want to ignore Chiang Rai." Alfred said, frustrated by his work. Master Bruce had disappeared in the battle with the monster on Christmas Eve, but not even Superman could confirm a body. He was out there, somewhere.

"I can read the news reports." Deke offered, pulling up newspapers and scanning through them. "They might just have their own vigilante though. Batman set a big example. People are popping up all over the place."

"And most of them are getting themselves hurt." Barbara said from across the cave. "Or worse."

"Well, there's that too." Deke said, and kept reading the news from Argentina, hoping to find something that offered irrefutable proof that Bruce Wayne was still alive. If he didn't _want_ to be found though, there was little chance anyone here could do it. He'd trained Dick, Tim, and Barbara, and knew quite well how Damien was trained too. Deke, well, he was pretty damn far from being a Bat class detective.

"I mean, maybe he's there." Deke said to Alfred several minutes later. "This seems like his MO."

Alfred looked at the photo in the news. Three men, strung up in front of a police station. "Several imitators have done similar." He said after a moment, knowing he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up.

"No, this." Deke said, and used his finger to highlight the text. The computer translated it, but Deke made a face. "Okay, the software needs a little work. What that actually says is, there were four more guys that were tied to the lamppost, but they had to be taken to the hospital for injuries. A little later it mentions fractured limbs and concussions, but no life threatening trauma."

"That's certainly worth a look I'd say." Alfred said, still refusing to get hopeful, but it was extremely difficult. "Perhaps Master Tim would oblige us."

"I'd be happy to go," Deke began, but his beloved's voice cut him off.

"But you're still injured." Barbara reminded him, and really, she was reminding herself too. She'd been eavesdropping on the two men, and the idea of going to Buenos Aries sounded exciting. "And we could probably ask Jason."

"My Spanish is better than anyone except Jaime, I'd be the best bet. Besides, he knows me too, and I'm kind of a psychic. That might be useful." Deke argued.

"Okay, you want to go that bad?" Barbara asked, the red in her hair coming out in her tone of voice.

"Well, yeah, I do. I'm sick of being cooped up." Deke said, feeling her less than sunny emotional state from across the cave.

"Fine, you can go, but I'm going with you, so you can either tell me I'm not ready to go out either, in which case you stay, or we both go and be happy about it. My Spanish isn't so bad either you know." She said, maneuvering her boy where she wanted him.

"Mr. Pennyworth, a hand here?" Deke asked, looking to Alfred.

"Oh, yessir, of course." Alfred said, and began applauding politely. "Bravo Mistress Barbara, bravo."

February 1st  
Buenos Aries, Argentina  
1435 ART

"I keep forgetting it's summertime in the southern hemisphere." Deke said to Barbara as they strolled down the street not far from their hotel. If it hadn't been for her reminding him of the fact, he'd be in a sweater instead of a tee shirt.

"Yeah, you gotta think globally Vaquero." She said, applying the Spanish word for her term of endearment. "Where do you want to start?"

"In the crappiest neighborhood in the sprawl." Deke answered thoughtfully. She was quizzing him, not asking his opinion.

"That's what I thought too. He won't be operating in broad daylight though, so we could probably get something to eat." Barbara said, thinking with her stomach. She would never apologize for her metabolism, ever.

Deke went around to the right side of her, and took her hand. She flashed a smile at him and snuggled in for a moment. He leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head, lamenting for a moment that she'd been forced to cut her hair after having half of it burned off by a Parademon. She'd gotten it fixed and styled into a bob cut though, which left her looking even more adorkable than before.

Deke excused himself for a moment, casually walking over to a couple of people. He greeted and addressed them in Spanish, spoke to them for a few moments, and returned to his girl. "I got lucky, they were locals. Apparently, there's a decent place a few blocks over."

"Wonderful, let's go." Barbara said, taking her boy's hand again.

* * *

Much, much later that night, the pair left their hotel. Deke lifted her telekinetically, and the two of them soared over the city, until they found a building with a small patio set. They landed, changed quickly into their 'evening' outfits, and took back off again.

Barbara clung to her boy's back instead of her usual line swinging and roof leaping. She didn't know Buenos Aries well enough to just head off wild, and she didn't want to aggravate her leg if she didn't have to. It was bad enough she had to wear her mesh cast between her left gauntlet and second skin, but she had to take off her ring too. That, at least, was tucked safely into her utility belt.

She'd gotten some hazing when she showed it off, but she took her engagement seriously. He'd avoided talking about it, even at Rocket's wedding when it was a pretty salient topic of conversation, which left her wondering if it was something he wanted. She knew they were young, but the truth was, the kinds of experience she wanted in her life, she'd gotten, and going to bed with a few boys for thrills wasn't part of it.

They were holding off until they both completed school, and since she was taking weighted classes, and he was doing the loaded courses his scholarship demanded of him, they'd both have their PhD's in their mid-twenties, which was a perfectly acceptable time to get married. They'd ironed out the kinks in their relationship, mostly anyway, in the almost three years they'd lived together. It worked for her.

Her life was pretty dynamic too, and the stability was something she wanted. She was willing to stabilize it on her own, but having a companion made it easier, and if she was being perfectly honest, a lot more fun too.

"You hugging me or chokin' me" Deke asked as he soared over Buenos Aries with her. His steering and maneuverability had improved significantly as he'd developed better speed control, and for their task, fast was not the approach they needed.

"Sorry, got lost thinking." Barbara said, resuming her search on the streets below. "You getting anything?"

"Not yet, but this city is full of people." Deke grumbled. He had been searching by looking for thought patterns familiar to him. Each one was unique, like a fingerprint, but there were so many people, it made sifting through them exceptionally difficult. "We could be here a week and miss him by a block."

"it was an off chance anyway." Barbara said. "Tim's still coming down here tomorrow to do the usual footwork."

"He may not have to." Deke said, lowering their altitude and bringing them to rest on a rooftop in a less than savory section of town. "I think I found him."

"You think or you know?" Barbara asked, pulling out her night vision binoculars.

"I think. Here, gimme your head a minute." He asked, and reached laterally, tapping her thoughts. When she allowed him, he pushed the image of where he was looking into her mind, giving her an immediate look at what he assumed was Batman.

"Got him." She said, and he withdrew his thoughts from hers. He then flicked the magnification mode on his glasses on, and began scanning, hoping to catch sight of Bruce.

"That's not him." Barbara said, zooming in on a masked man, who was currently handing a few people their teeth. "But he could use a hand, and he might know something. Let's go."

Barbara fired off a line and swooped that direction. Deke took off after her, loosening his angle of descent to go from dropping in to sailing straight at the group. He arrived first and tossed one of the gangsters into a wall, and watched as his love just completed her momentum and kicked another in the stomach as she came in, landing lightly as he rolled away.

The man in the red mask decked the last thug and turned to look at his unexpected backup. "What are you doing here?" he asked in perfect, but slightly accented English. "The Bat doesn't come to Argentina."

"We're following up on an investigation for him." Barbara said, not wanting to let the cat out of the baf that Batman was missing. "I'm sure you've seen him around."

"No, I am sorry bonita, but I have not. I am El Gaucho, and I know this city well. If he had shown up, I would certainly have heard something about it. I can guess you are a, a co-worker, yes?" He asked, offering a hand.

Barbara accepted it, but was surprised when he kissed her hand instead of shaking it. If nothing else, this vigilante of Buenos Aries was a gentleman, and a charming one at that. "I'm Batgirl, it's nice to meet you."

"And you too." Gaucho whirled around dramatically to Deke. "And I see, another cowboy. We are a dying breed, are we not?"

"Maybe not so much anymore. Mustang." Deke said, offering the man a hand. Gaucho took it with a firm shake.

"Mustang, like the horse, not the car I assume? The word comes from the Spanish for wild. Of course it was originally meant for cattle, but I won't tell if you won't." Gaucho said. His charming personality was so infectious that Deke couldn't even be unhappy he'd been flirting with Babs.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, but I must apologize for disappointing you. If Batman has you following up an investigation he performed here, then I believe you've been sent on quite the chase. I must also apologize, but the night is young, as am I, and there are more nefarious deeds to be seen to." Gaucho said, turning to slip off into the shadows.

Barbara glanced at Deke, and gave him a wry look. He returned her expression with an eye roll. "You're lying." He said, before Gaucho had gotten three steps away. The accusation gave him pause.

He turned back, his steps bolstered with fury. "How dare you call me a liar. I don't care how much we share in imagery, I will not stand for this. Prepare to defend yourself!"

"Okay, go for it. Knock yourself out." Deke said, and threw up a kinetic shield. Gaucho struck him, but his fist bounced off, effectively causing him to punch himself in the face. It really was a good thing his heart wasn't necessarily in it.

"Brujo." Gaucho accused, clasping his now bleeding nose.

"What are you hiding?" Barbara asked. She didn't want to drag it out of someone who seemed genuinely interested in helping his city, but she would.

"He swore me to secrecy. I will say no more, and whatever witchcraft you bring to bear will not take it from me." Gaucho said adamantly.

Deke could feel his determination pouring off of him. "Okay, your word and your balls, we get it. Gracias."


	4. Chapter 4

February 3rd  
Sydney, Australia  
2305 AET

How a long distance relationship, even for a few days, could work before the prevalence of the internet was unfathomable to Barbara. She was currently on a Skype call with her boy, who had a short break between classes. "So, you'll never believe this, but they're doing some early orientation, and one of the students is Atlantean."

"Seriously? That's pretty awesome." Barbara replied, in her guise as Batgirl. She was sitting on a rooftop in the Australian capital, taking a quick break from her search for Bruce. So far, nothing to show for it either, but that had been par for the course.

"Right?" Deke drawled, shifting his weight on the couch to get more comfortable, causing the video call to get really wobbly on her for a minute. "She shows up, walking around in traditional Atlantean clothing too. You should have seen all the guys trying to get into Atlantean language and culture 101 for next semester. It was hilarious."

"So I take it she was hot or something?" Barbara asked, happy to just have a moment to talk about inane, silly things.

"I mean, objectively, sure, but she carried herself like she owned the place or something." Deke said with a frown. "Dunno where she got that stick lodged up her ass, but there were plenty of people willing to help her dislodge it."

"Aquaman's done wonders to dispel the racism most Atlanteans have for surface dwellers, but there are still plenty who don't much like us." Barbara said, munching on a protein bar. "Hopefully this turns out well though, and speaking of things turning out well, how's my boy?"

Deke sighed. "It's slow. I'm finally willing to admit he worked a number on me."

"Good job Cowboy. Don't forget you have that follow-up the day I get back." Barbara said, peeling the tip back from one of her gauntlets to expose her actual finger. She daubed a bit of gel on it, and rubbed it on her bottom left wisdom tooth with a grimace.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who has appointments." Deke said to her. He realigned both himself and her every night when they were in bed, which had allowed him to forestall the worst of her wisdom teeth beginning to impact, but where she'd been gone for a couple of days, it was catching back up to her.

"Maybe I'll get lucky and run into some trouble here, and whoever it is punches me in the jaw hard enough to knock it out." Barbara muttered at the bad taste and burn of the topical anesthetic.

"When was the last time anyone was good enough to punch you that hard in the jaw?" Deke retorted.

"Okay a while." Barbara agreed, and put a fingertip to her ear. She listened a moment and made a face. "I have to go babe. Still going to pick me up tomorrow night, my time?"

"Yeah, we're on. Be careful, and I love you." He said, and kissed the screen. She returned the favor with a smile.

"I love you too Cowboy." And the call ended. Deke put his tablet back into his backpack, and checked the time. He had just enough to make a sandwich before his next class.

* * *

"You afraid he's going to be pissed seeing me?" Jason asked, landing on the rooftop next to Barbara.

"No, I'm afraid you're going to keep interrupting me." She said tartly, closing the wristcomp on her left gauntlet. "Thanks for not doing that."

"You're welcome. If I'm right, we'll need to get into that building," he said, pointing to a skyscraper a few blocks away. "and do some snooping. I remember him bringing me here, you know, before."

"I've got your six, go for it." Barbara said, back 'under the cowl' as it were. Jason took a running leap off the building, and Barbara was immediately behind him, both throwing lines at about the same location with the same timing. You could take Jason out of the Bat, but you couldn't take the Bat out of Jason.

Sometime later, after bypassing security and slipping past laughable guards, the two were in the main office of Technicha's Australian branch. "How many generations removed is this place from Wayne Enterprises?"

Jason scratched the metal chin of his headgear in thought. "Three or four I think." He said, and kept sifting through paper files while Barbara bypassed the computer encryption. She found it tragically hilarious that, when allowed to work with her own autonomy, she was a giant in the business, but the moment a professor gave her some ridiculous series of boundaries and objectives, it was like high school computer science all over again.

"Not anymore." Barbara replied, looking through their accounting logs, making her grateful for taking that forensic accounting elective last year. "This place just took in some major funds from Kord Industries, to the tune of two and a half billion dollars."

"Woah. That's some serious change for a company who's greatest claim to fame was a cellphone that never got popular. I really don't even know why Bruce kept it around." Jason said, still sifting through files.

"I have my reasons." They both heard, the voice familiar, and too long missing. Jason turned, pistols in hand, and Barbara had a batarang ready to go when Bruce stepped out of the shadows of the office. Garbed in a rugby shirt and slacks, and sporting a beard and a shaggier hairstyle, it was his voice and the way he walked that gave him away.

"Where did you go?" Barbara asked, coming out of the chair but keeping her distance. Trust, but verify. Jason did the same, relaxing his pistols but keeping them in hand.

"When Darkseid attacked, I knew he had to have help getting here. Help on this side. I've been following the case. Too much is at stake to get tangled up in anything else right now." Bruce said, inwardly pleased at their distrust. He'd trained them both well.

"Nightwing's been in the suit since you left, keeping the illusion alive." Jason said. "But he could use the help. My people and I have other problems we need to see to."

"Dick, Tim, and Damien know their parts to play. Barbara, you do too. Get back to Gotham, that attempted breakout at Arkham was part of something bigger." Bruce said, and by the look on his face, those detective wheels were turning fast.

"Like the Light kind of bigger?" Barbara asked.

"Just like it. Maybe not them exactly, but someone, or someones, is playing the long con. A lot of feints and misdirection. I don't think we're chasing the same endgame, but it wouldn't surprise me if we were."

"So, we just leave you to your investigation, pretend like we never saw you?" Jason asked, still not totally trusting the situation.

"That's exactly right. Tell everyone to break off their investigation and focus on the bigger picture." Bruce said, and turned to face Jason directly. "Jason, could you give us the room?"

"Fine by me." He said, and strolled out, not holstering his pistols until he was out eyeshot.

"What do you need?" Barbara asked, looking at Bruce with a slightly curious expression.

"You're unique among my family. You still have your father. I never felt like I needed to replace him, but all the same, you're family too." Bruce said, his voice softening from the detective, to the man behind it all. "So, congratulations. I wish you happiness."

"Thank you Bruce, but how did you know?" Barbara asked. Her ring, as always, was sealed in a compartment on her belt.

Bruce just gave her the look. The look that said one thing. That he was Batman, and he knew everything, and she should have known that from moment one.

* * *

The next night, Barbara sat on the roof of her hotel, dressed in regular clothing, which for Australian summertime, wasn't much. Since she had plenty of privacy, she'd tossed on a camisole and a miniskirt, trying to stay cool while her 'ride' showed up. That they hadn't had an opportunity to do so much as touch each other inappropriately in passing since two weeks before Christmas, she hoped that they might have a little time before having to head off to Boston for their follow-up appointments.

It was a little past nine thirty when she heard the rush of air she'd been expecting. After a moment, her lover and friend touched down on the roof, similarly decked out for the Australian weather. He learned, and she smiled for it.

"Hi Cowboy." Barbara said, bouncing up to her feet nimbly and into his open arms. He wrapped her up tight and kissed her deep, showing her how much he'd missed her, leaning her into a dip for good measure.

She giggled at him and flashed a bright smile. "That's how to make a girl feel missed." She said, coming up to her feet and booping him on the nose.

"I'd show you more, but I got lost and wound up over Kuala Lumpur. We've got to scoot fast, I'm sorry to say." Deke said apologetically.

"We'll have time later." Barbara said, and hopped into his arms, playing at the damsel. "Take me away from here, hero!"

Deke snickered at her, used his powers to secure her to his body, and he lifted off. They soared for a while at a much slower pace, giving him a chance to get another look at Sydney, a place he'd always wanted to visit but had never had the chance. "I hear Australians are extremely friendly." He said to her as he enjoyed the view.

"They really are, I wish your appointment was later." She said, nuzzling into his neck.

"Maybe, if things work out, we could honeymoon here." Deke suggested, also enjoying her view. She certainly knew how to keep his eyes on her, whether she meant to or not. Even in the super conservative get-up she had to wear when she was interning at the Gotham library around the time the Reach showed up, she still looked smoking hot to him.

"I say we definitely put a pin in that one, my lovely." Barbara replied.

Once clear of the city, Deke built up his acceleration, the pressure wave from the energy visible as ripples in the air. Slowly, he reoriented himself towards Boston, using his smartwatch app, and finally popped the clutch, launching them both on a course for Boston. He had to stop two hours into the trip, outside of Coast City, to give them both a chance to change clothes, as well as to eat, and take a bathroom break.

"Mach six, and I'm barely tired." He said proudly, checking his speed on his travel app. How Superman could just up and go places without navigation tools was beyond him. It might have had to do with being able to make a much higher altitude, and having super senses too. Lucky bastard.

"Hopefully you remember to take it slow where it counts." Barbara said, a little bit saucy.

"Until you tell me otherwise, of course." Deke replied, smooching her on the nose.

"Your breath smells like mustard." Barbara said, wrinkling her nose with a giggle. "My God, we're disgustingly cute aren't we?"

Deke nodded and wrapped her up in his arms again. "Hey, nobody around to see it." He said, gesturing to their impromptu picnic spot at a rest stop outside of city limits. "Speaking of breath though, I called Mister Pennyworth and he made a list of oral surgeons for you to pick from."

"You didn't just make me an appointment?" Barbara asked him, daubing more gel on her tooth.

"You never asked me to. I just wanted to make sure you had a top notch doc to handle it." He said. He'd have been sleeping on the couch for a week if he'd just up and done it on his own.

"Smart, thoughtful too, but very smart." Barbara replied, and held on as he launched them into the air. A very large part of her got a huge thrill from being able to rocket through the air, and she couldn't contain herself, laughing and smiling the whole trip. He could barely break the sound barrier when he first started, but now, he was breaking hypersonic. She was proud of the man she'd agreed to marry, and it showed.

The trip across the US took a little less than a half an hour, during which Barbara was imminently grateful she'd changed into warmer clothing. A late winter cold snap was currently making American lives miserable across much of the country, and Boston was a regular victim of that weather.

They landed outside the city around two o'clock in the afternoon, local time. Barbara hailed an Uber from her phone, and the two of them waited on their ride, and snuggled close in a little coffee and donut shop while they waited.

They were picked up by a nice enough guy, though Deke had a difficult time understanding him with his very thick South Boston accent. "What're you two headin' to STAR Labs for anyway?" He asked, stuffing his face with a hot dog. He might have been the quintessential cabbie, tubby stomach, newsboy cap, welcoming attitude to his passengers and barely contained road rage towards everyone else.

"We're college students, got some stuff to do there for class." Barbara answered, casually shooing her boy's hand away from her leg, and wishing she didn't have to.

"If you're there for the particle physics demo, they had to move it to the lab in Central City. Boston mayor had a cow when he saw the over/under for a mishap with unstable molecule radiation in the middle of town, but Central's Lab is on the outskirts. I kept tellin' the missus it's not like the radiation field can spread more than thirty meters or so with the layers of shielding they put in six months ago though. You want I should drop you at Logan instead?"

"Wow, no thank you, we're going there for a lecture on genetics." Barbara said, surprised at their driver.

"Oh yeah, genetics, now that's a fun field too. I told the missus she shoulda went into that instead of cosmetology, what with her havin' such an aptitude in molecular biology and all, but what did I know?" Their driver said with a shrug.

Deke glanced at Barbara, who returned an equally surprised look. The trip was going to be interesting. "And you wanted to fly all the way in." She whispered to her boy with an elbow in his ribs.


	5. Chapter 5

February 4th  
Boston, Massachusetts  
1425 EST

"We're about to begin. If you wouldn't mind leaving the room please, Miss Gordon?" Doctor Franklin said to Barbara when he entered the exam room.

"She can stay if you're worried about patient privacy." Deke offered. "I kind of need to add her to the list of people who can make decisions for me if I'm not conscious anyway."

He wasn't sure what it was he said, but the moment he said it, her face colored and she sprouted a shy smile. He couldn't see her eyes behind those huge sunglasses, but the positive emotions she wasn't bothering to control were quite obvious, to the point the Doctor might have felt them.

"That's fine by me. Is this mutual? It would save me some time, and the both of you as well." The Doc asked.

"Yes it is." Barbara said, still sporting her smile.

"Very well then." Doctor Franklin said, and pulled over a piece of equipment. It looked similar to a portable X-Ray machine, with armature that allowed it to move however the operator wanted. The large screen on the back was new though. "Mister O'Connelly, if you could stand up please?"

Deke shrugged and slipped off the table. He saw Barbara dip her glasses to peek at the screen while the Doc used it to scan his patient. It was over in a moment and the Doc put the equipment away. "All of the stress and compression fractures are either mended or nearly so, and there's no trace of organ damage. That being said, how do you feel?"

"I feel pretty much okay. Occasionally a little sore." Deke answered. "I've been stepping myself down off the painkillers, and my uh, family doc wrote me hydrocodone instead of oxycodone too. I'm taking maybe one a day, and it's not every day."

"That sounds like the right path. Let's run the basic list." Doctor Franklin said. He ran Deke through a quick and dirty physical, gathering the basic information. Barbara sat there quietly, paying attention, as she did with all things. The girl was addicted to learning stuff, which, if one were measuring addictions based on their threat, she might have one of the better ones.

"Okay, l can pronounce you fit. Just pay attention to your limits. Pardon me if I'm off the mark here, but I think your best bet is to listen to her." Doctor Franklin said once he was finished. He'd noticed the ring she was wearing, that she didn't have on the last time she was here.

"I tell him that all the time." Barbara said, showing her boy the tip of her tongue.

"Yeah, I'd definitely listen to her. Now, for the big reason I asked for the room, I ordered blood drawn when you were brought in. One of the tests we ran, at Batman's suggestion, was for the Meta Gene. Are you familiar with that?" Doctor Franklin asked.

"Yeah, we actually studied that last week. The Meta Gene is a mutation in the human gene sequence, which has been shown to react to threatening stimulus in an immediate adaptive manner. Like, if it triggered in a house fire, a person with it might develop supernatural abilities with a connection to fire. It's similar to the meteor radiation infected people in Kansas several years ago." Deke said, thinking he knew where the Doc was going.

"That's the textbook definition, yes. You possess the Meta Gene. Thanks to the Justice League, we know the Reach was studying it in humans during their time here, and we know they kidnapped people to do so. Because of that, I have to ask, were you a kidnapping victim two years ago? There may be additional repercussions to your health if that's the case."

"Nope, I wasn't. I had my powers before the Reach showed up." Deke said.

"That answers that." Doctor Franklin said, and checked his notes. "We're done here if you two want to trade places."

The two swapped, and the Doc repeated his quick exam and scan. "Your arm is remodeling wonderfully, and it looks like you're moving on that leg well enough. I can give you the same spiel I gave him. Pay attention to your limits and you're good to go. I do have one other question for you though, and again, are you certain you're comfortable discussing all aspects of your care in front of him?"

"I am, go for it." Barbara said. She'd been casually swinging her feet off the edge of the exam table until he brought that up. Suddenly, she turned businesslike.

"The blood draw we did on you included a pregnancy check in the event we had to perform surgery on your arm. It came up positive." Doctor Franklin said.

A strange fluttering chill overtook Barbara at his words. Behind him, she saw her boy blink a few times and go blank. "I don't see how, I'm on the alprazaline that the League women use, and I've never missed a dose."

"Alprazaline gives a false positive on a standard pregnancy test. Do you have time to take another?" Doctor Franklin said. He saw the frightened look on her face, and glanced over to who he assumed was the potential father. He looked just as scared. Deep in his heart, Doctor Anthony Franklin hoped it was the false positive.

"Yes please." Barbara said.

"I'll have a nurse in shortly." Doctor Franklin said and gave the two the room.

Both of them opened their mouths to talk, a jumble of words over each other. Finally, Deke shut his mouth and let her speak. "Cowboy, if this isn't a false positive, life is going to become very interesting."

Deke nodded, and climbed up on the table with her, wrapping his arm around her. "Yes it is. We'll figure it out though."

Barbara nuzzled into her boy. Since he'd given her the ring, she'd been pondering their life together, and that had indeed included children, but she absolutely wanted to finish school first. If he'd just been some boy that she'd made a mistake with, she'd probably look into terminating it, but she and Deke were getting married, and thus abortion was off the table.

Deciding that dwelling on negativity was not going to help, she switched gears. "If I am, and it's a girl, can we name her Uvula LaTonk?"

Deke turned and looked at her, not sure what the hell to say to that. When she began giggling, he realized she was trying to keep positive, and played along. "Only if we can name it John Wayne MacRemington if it's a boy."

"That's horrible, I accept." She said, taking her boy's hand, and squeezing just a bit too hard, revealing her concern.

The nurse came in a moment later with a kit, and did another blood draw. She put some in a small vial, and added a chemical. When it turned blue, she set it aside. "Positive for alprazaline, so we'll have to run a separate test. It should take about ten minutes."

"Okay, thank you." Barbara said. Once the nurse left, she felt Deke's arms around her, and let herself get wrapped up into a hug.

"Between you and me, this is the scariest ten minutes of my life." She said, burying her face in his chest.

"You and me both." Deke replied. "I'm going to wager a guess that you want me to keep my hands to myself later?" He asked several minutes later.

"Now let's not get hasty here." Barbara said, looking up at him. "We didn't have a chance to do anything the week I was off birth control, so I'm actually pretty confident I'm…"

"Not pregnant." The nurse said, poking her head into the room. "You're both free to go."

"Thank God, I didn't want to name a kid Uvula." Deke said. "How come you still look unhappy?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly traught Cowboy." She said, borrowing one of Dick's words. "I just need to let my adrenaline wear off. I did _not_ want to have that conversation with my dad. Trust me, you didn't want me to have that conversation either. As far as he's concerned, I've never kissed you on the lips, let alone anywhere else."

The pair left the exam room and saw themselves out of STAR Labs. "Speaking of, I get off work at the clinic at eleven tonight, and your first class tomorrow doesn't start until noon."

"I know our schedules quite well my lovely." Barbara said, giving his hand a loving squeeze. "Believe me, I've got plans."

Deke had a grin on his face. "Do they include that outfit I picked you up in?"

"They include _an_ outfit." Barbara said mysteriously.

February 4th  
Destin, Florida  
1530 CST

"Aasha, did you do laundry?" Maddie asked, searching through her room, completely unable to find her favorite bra. "And as a secondary, did you steal my blue lace bra?"

"I can use one of your bras as a hammock." Aasha called out from her room. "And yes, I did laundry, it's in there."

"Oh good." Maddie said, stepping into Aasha's room. "What are you doing in here? Are you touching yourself? Because if you're touching yourself, I want in."

"Sorry to disappoint, but no." Aasha said. She had a large sketchpad in her lap, and a pile of crumpled pieces of paper surrounding her. "I don't suppose you know anything about fashion design?"

"Why do you ask?" Maddie asked, sitting down next to her teammate. "And how is it fair you have the same size bed I do? Don't you get lost on this thing?"

"I haven't needed a map after the first week." Aasha replied sarcastically. "And I'm asking because I've got costume envy."

"What, Me and Mustang got new costumes so now you want one too?" Maddie asked, glancing at what Aasha had been drawing. The page was filled with dozens of sketches, remarkably beautiful ones. The girl had a gift for art, not so much for fashion though.

"Yes, pretty much. Fractal's costume does that weird color shifting thing, Batgirl gave Mustang the new coat, and you got that new getup, that's exactly right, I want one too. Besides, I feel like I'm just feeding the stereotype by running around in a sari."

"You look hot in that sari though." Maddie said, oddly kind. She'd softened up in the few years they'd all worked together, but she still didn't show much honest affection. "Like, for real, I kind of wish I could pull one off, with all that jewelry and stuff. Indians have it right with all of it."

"Then get one." Aasha said. "I can show you several websites."

"Yeah? Alright, it's a trade then." Maddie said, and took the sketchpad off of Aasha's lap. "So, let me pitch this one." She said, and began very quickly sketching something out.

She finished, and handed Aasha the book. "I'm not fighting crime in a thong bikini."

"Why not? I did." Maddie argued.

"Because they don't make thong bikinis my size for one." Aasha argued. "I have to special order regular knickers if I don't want to buy them in the children's section."

"Okay, point taken." Maddie said, and blew out a breath, trying to think. While she pondered, she glanced around her room for inspiration. The rock and metal band posters gave her an idea, and she set about sketching. "So, do you think Mustang and Batgirl will actually get hitched?"

"I hope so, they're so beautiful together, you know? Like, it gives me hope kind of beautiful. That's rare." Aasha said, sipping a bottle of iced mocha.

"Yeah, that's cute and all, but I don't see how he could be a one and done." Maddie said, doing a back view of her sketch. "He's a guy, no matter how much we like him, he's still a guy."

"You're such a pessimist Maddie." Aasha said. "If you distrust men so much, why do you still chase them?"

"I tried getting into something with a girl, but you shot me down, remember?" Maddie said, and showed Aasha the sketch she'd done.

Now this one, Aasha liked. A bolero style jacket which would run to her mid-calf, with bell sleeves, under which would be a bodysuit with a few cutouts, enough to feel attractive without putting it all on display. There was detailing to the jacket, and some sheer parts which were held with an elegant looking design. "Maddie, you're a genius."

"About time somebody noticed. Since we're the only two here, you know how you could pay me back for this?"

"If it involves nudity and touching, I'm not interested." Aasha said, defaulting to a usual answer to her teammate. The worst part was, Aasha did find Maddie attractive, but her aggressiveness was just too off putting.

"Spoilsport," Maddie grumbled. "No, it's cool, take that and run with it, though, I have to ask, how are you planning on getting it?"

"Sorcery," Aasha said. "Zatanna has given me some books to practice with. I'll never be on her level with real magic, but the basics are within my grasp."

"That's awesome! What kind of stuff can you do?" Maddie asked, brushing the wadded up attempts Aasha had made for a costume, and getting comfortable on the bed.

"So far, not much that I couldn't do with my innate powers, sad to say." Aasha said. "But I _can_ summon inanimate objects and perform some minor illusions."

"Show me." Maddie said, poking her teammate in the shoulder.

"Certainly." Aasha said, happy to have a chance to show off a little, and made a wave of her hand. "Hsogarahk eenagniab."

At the foot of the bed, an adorable purple rabbit appeared and began dancing about. When it began twerking, Maddie lost it, almost falling off the bed from laughter. "Look at its little fluffy butt, just bouncing along!" She said happily. "Watch it go!"

Aasha dispelled the illusion after a moment, snickering at her teammate. She rarely laughed like that unless someone had embarrassed themselves. "Glad to see I can bring some happiness."

Maddie struggled to catch her breath. "Think you can do your costume?"

"I'll try." Aasha said, and slipped off the bed. It wasn't going to be as easy as making a cartoon rabbit. She took a deep breath, raised her hands in a grand gesture, and spoke the words. Raahapu kaahsop radnus!"

Her clothes swirled into smoke, leaving her nude for a half a second, before reforming onto her body in the shape of the costume Maddie had sketched out. "I'll have to work on that one." She said.

"No, no, it was perfect." Maddie argued. "I like the purple and gold too."

"Thank you!" Aasha said brightly. "I really appreciate your help."

"It's no problem." Maddie said, and grabbed Aasha's brush off her nightstand. "C'mere."

Aasha shrugged, she could use a good brush through her hair, especially with how long it had grown. It was tickling her bum on the regular. She invoked her magic to return to her regular clothes, and got back onto the bed, scooting up against her teammate.

Maddie trailed the brush through Aasha's hair, feeling absolutely jealous at how silky soft it was. "You're really loud in your sleep you know." She pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Aasha asked, relaxing at her mess of hair getting brushed out. Say what you would about Maddie, she was wonderful at untangling nests without yanking.

Maddie took a breath before speaking. Generally, she'd dive right in without a second thought, especially where this subject was concerned, but Aasha was her friend, and the situation wasn't exactly uncomplicated. "You've been having some dirty dreams girl. I hear you moaning in your sleep, and you're calling out Mustang's name."

Aasha froze. Her on-their-birthday games with Deke and Babs, and the occasional playtime with Babs alone was something she had no desire to explain. "It's just a crush, I'm not going to act on it." She lied. "And besides, I can still work with him."

Okay, so that's how she wanted to play it. "Aasha, unrequited crushes can cause real pain. Trust me, I've been on both ends of them. You don't want Mustang anyway, even if he wasn't with Batgirl."

"Why ever not?" Aasha said, choking back on a defensive tone. He'd been nothing but kind and thoughtful to her.

He and Babs both had treated her with an utmost of respect and caring, never once making her feel like a hired girl. Nor, had Babs tried asserting herself as the woman in charge. They'd set realistic boundaries, and agreed upon them. Deke was perfectly fine with she and Babs playing together when the mood and timing was right, so long as he got to watch whenever possible. She couldn't play with Deke alone, though Babs had let that slide once when she was stuck in Tokyo on his birthday last year. That was largely due to his living with her for extended periods of time in the summer, which was perfectly reasonable.

"Because, he'd just be in it because you make him feel strong. The first time you stood up for yourself in an argument he'd lost interest." Maddie said, still brushing Aasha's hair. "Just, be careful, okay?

Aasha sighed. "Thank you, but despite appearances, I am a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"If that changes, you let me know." Maddie said, hugging her teammate and friend.

"Maddie, you're squeezing my boobs."


	6. Chapter 6 (Lemon Cookies)

February 4th  
Gotham City  
2318 EST

The apartment was quiet when Deke stepped in from his shift at the clinic. Too quiet, as cliché as it felt to him. If Babs was home, there'd be some kind of noise, be it music, or the rhythmic clacking of her keyboard. "Babs, darlin', you home?" He called out to the apparently empty apartment.

When there was no answer, he checked his phone to see if she hadn't gone out to help Dick. No luck there either. She was perfectly capable though, so while he worried, it wasn't the gut wrenching terror he'd experience if it were someone else.

He hung his hand-me-down stethoscope on the coat rack and tossed his beaten up jacket on the hook next to it. Looking down, he frowned at his scrubs, peeled them off, and tossed them in the small washer with an extra detergent pod. He'd gotten the distinct privilege of aspirating the nose of a four year old who'd lodged a raisin up there, and while he'd gotten the raisin, he got a lot more with it.

With a casual wave of his hand, the television turned on. Apparently, before she'd left, Babs had been listening to the classic rock station, or else she'd turned it on for him before she left. Deciding to take a shower, he turned to head to the bathroom when there was a knock at the door.

"Just a minute please!" He called out and peeked into the bedroom. He summoned a pair of sweatpants to his hand, stumbled about pulling them on, and finally got to the door. When he opened it up, his eyes bugged out of his head. Barbara stood there, holding a box of cookies. That was exciting in and of itself, but it was how she was dressed that got him.

She was in a plaid miniskirt that barely covered what it was supposed to, and an extremely tight button down, so snug she only had one button fastened, while the rest was tied under her breasts. Those magnificent things were being supported by a purple and black pushup bra which was definitely doing its job. She had on sneakers and knee high socks as well, and her hair was in short pigtails.

"Hi, would you like to buy some cookies?" She said in the sweetest and most endearing tone, flashing him a bright smile.

It took him a moment to pick his jaw up off the floor before he could answer. "Um, yeah, sure, come on in." He said, stepping out of her way so she could.

Once she'd stepped in, and he closed the door behind her, she skipped to their small table by the kitchenette and set the box of cookies down. "I only have the one left; it's been a good day. Everybody wanted to buy cookies from me." She said, acting like she had no clue why.

"Well, if that's all you've got left, I guess I better jump on the chance, huh?" Deke said, trying to play along.

She flashed another bright smile at him, and gave him a coquettish bat of her eyes. "I'd say so. Like I said, I only have one box left, and I bet they're your favorites."

"You can tell my favorite cookie just by looking at me?" He asked, leaning against the kitchenette counter.

"Oh sure." She said, still too adorable for words. "I bet these lemon delights are your favorite, because you've got all those big muscles, and lemons are good for you." She explained, reaching a hand out to touch him tentatively. When he looked at her hand, she pulled it away like she'd been caught.

"Well, I'm convinced. I'll take them. Let me get my money." He said, and reached into the pockets of his sweats. "Or, not. I'm sorry sweetie, but I don't have any cash on me."

"Oh, that's too bad." She said with a pout. "I'm sorry."

"Is there maybe, I dunno, some other way I could pay for them? I do love lemons." He said, hoping he didn't sound as cheesy to her as he did to himself.

"Uhm…" She said, putting her hands behind her back and looking down at the floor shyly. She put her toe on the floor and began swirling her heel back and forth before glancing back up at him through perfectly made up eyes. "I really shouldn't. I could get in trouble."

"Oh, I wouldn't tell on a pretty girl like you." Deke said, and yeah, he was going to change his name to cheddar after delivering that line.

"You promise?" Barbara asked, stepping closer to him and reaching out to touch him again. "I really could get into a whole lot of trouble."

"Of course I promise." He said, brushing an errant wisp of hair out of her face. She gave another bat of her eyes and turned her face up to him, her lips parting slowly. He met her halfway and kissed her, immediately tasting cherry lip gloss.

She pushed her body into his, crushing her breasts against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his hands on her hips and held her to his body, though his hands began wandering in short order.

Barbara giggled into her kiss with him when she felt his hands grasp her bottom. Breaking her lips away, she began nibbling on his neck, causing him to shiver. It did have the effect she wanted, which was to cause his hands to wander more, this time up her back to her shoulders, where he tried slipping her shirt down. It was far too tight to pull that trick off, but it gave her the excuse she was looking for.

"Need some help?" She asked, still acting adorable. Without waiting for a response, she used a finger to pop the one button still fastened. Now able to, Deke slipped the shirt down off her shoulders, though he had to untie the front to get it completely off of her. He could feel a sense of relief pass through her, and he could understand why, the shirt she was wearing had to be several sizes too small.

Barbara pulled him towards the sofa and sat him down, before straddling him and returning to kissing him. His hands found her bottom again and flipped her skirt up to get a better grip. She rode the pressure and began slowly rocking her hips in a circle, grinding on him. The fact that he was halfway to attention before she ever walked in the door was not lost on her either, as she could quite plainly feel the effects of her outfit and roleplaying had on him.

His hands found her back, stroking her skin for a moment before going to the clasp on her pushup bra. When he released it, she crossed her hands in front of her chest in mock scandal, though once again, the relief she felt was palpable. Slowly, too slowly, she pulled one hand away, and then tugged at her bra with the other, slowly dragging the material across her already stiff nipples, before tossing the garment to the side. It gave her breasts a bounce when she did it, which caused her to giggle at herself.

Finally free of the constrictive garments, she could breathe a little easier, and her comfort allowed her to enjoy the moment better. She went back to kissing and nibbling his neck, throwing in a nip here and there for good measure, while his hands massaged and kneaded her breasts. Every time she nipped, he pinched her nipples, causing a shudder and a moan from her.

Having had enough of the grinding, Barbara finally slid down his body, trailing kisses as she went. Deke shivered as she moved, and felt his shaft twitching in his sweats. Once on the ground, she tugged at the waistband of them, and made quick work of the offending garment.

She teased him with the tip of her tongue once he'd sprung free, swirling her lips and tongue around his shaft. He looked down and saw her looking up at him, batting her eyelashes at him slowly. "Is that nice?" She asked, still playing at being shy.

"Oh yes." He replied and leaned his head back in enjoyment. She teased him a while longer, paying attention to his pair as well, and doing a wonderful job of making him feel appreciated. It got better though, when she took him into her mouth, and began slowly bobbing her head.

His moans of approval brought a smug sense of satisfaction to her. She knew how to take care of her boy, and she didn't need powers to do it. Over their time together, she'd grown quite accustomed to showing him attention, and had worked out a few tricks of her own. She knew how to get him to a nice relaxing state, or to work him into a frenzy. She could drag it out, or finish him quick too, and on this occasion, she chose to drag it out. They'd been unable to reconcile their schedules for months now, and while she didn't require sex to feel fulfilled, she certainly enjoyed it.

She finally withdrew him from her mouth after a good long while and gave him a slow stroke. "Would you like to pull my panties down?" She asked, and was pleased at his facial expression, and the way he mouthed an 'oh my god' when she asked.

"I very much would." Deke said, and reached under her skirt as she stood up. He let his hands brush her sex, and felt the warmth there, an obvious clue as to how aroused she already was. He slipped his fingers into the tiny scrap of material she was calling underwear and rolled them down her smooth, toned legs, before tossing them casually aside.

"Why don't you lay down for me?" He asked her, and scooted over on the sofa to let her relax. She sat down and slid around, lounging at an angle, and brought her legs up, resting one on the back of the couch. Deke slid himself down and began nibbling on her leg, from her ankle up to her thigh, close enough he could catch a scent of her arousal.

"I can take my socks off." She offered, breaking character a bit.

"No please." He said, casually nibbling on her thigh and causing her to mew and shiver. When he turned to her sex, which glistened with dew, and the little tuft of red hair she kept in a landing strip, it was all he could do to keep from just diving in. He'd missed the taste and feel of her horribly, but more than that, he missed the little moans and mews and squeaks she made when he performed for her. Sure, the ear splitting shrieks and screams she made in the throes of sex were amazing, but the small, vulnerable noises were more special to him.

He trailed his tongue across her petals, using just the tip to paint thin strokes, setting his pace with a silent five count. Her sweet taste tickled his tongue, so amusing since it came from such a tough girl. In another life she might have been a trophy wife right out of high school, but here, now, she was a badass, and he loved being a part of her life for it. Much like her little noises of pleasure, she let herself be vulnerable with him, and it made him feel extremely special. So, he did what he could to make her feel special and appreciated too, even if it was ruthless teasing.

Barbara began melting into the couch at the touch of his tongue. Like her, he'd worked out his own tricks and technique. Before too long at all, he had her squirming on the couch, with one leg wrapped around his head and her hands grasping at her breasts. He still listened to her thoughts, picking up on the most important things at any given moment, so when he felt her reach her absolute limit at his teasing and exploration some time later, he finally gave in and trailed his tongue across her button, trailing a thin string of her dew along with it.

She went from mews and whimpers to a sharp breath as he fluttered his tongue against her sex, using his fingers to spread his touch out. She called out his name in panting breath, spurring him on, so he picked up his pace and sought to bring her off. He slipped a finger within her, made easy by her arousal, and began pumping it into her. It took no time after that before her sex gripped his digit tight and her body locked in climax.

Barbara had hold of his hair, and yanked when she began losing focus and getting tingly, though she had to bite down on her own arm as well to keep from crying out loud enough to disturb the neighbors. The pain mixed with pleasure, and the physicality of it deepened her experience. "You," she said in panting breath. "Me. Now."

"Anything for a box of cookies." He said, and came up from the floor, stepping out of his sweats. She raised one leg up to her face, showing off her impressive flexibility, and began touching herself, waiting impatiently for him.

Deke placed the tip of his shaft against her sex, and brushed her button with it several times. Still enjoying small tremors from her climax, each stroke across her petals and nub shot sparks up and into her body, sparking the fire low in her belly.

"Please give it to me." She all but pleaded, hating the teasing. He stopped his playing and aligned himself with her entrance, and slipped just inside of her before withdrawing. She whimpered in delicious agony as he repeated the motion several more times, going in just a hair's breadth deeper each time.

"Deacon, for God's sake, please!" She asked, and this time, he drove into her to the hilt. The sudden pressure and stretching sent a shockwave through her body, priming her for beautiful things. He didn't get off on making her plead by any means. It was her reaction to his finally acquiescing to her demands. The way she arched her back in pleasure, the fulfilled noises she made, that's what did it for him.

He kept his pace slow, they had all night, and just worked into her. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into her, while he gripped her tiny skirt to steady himself. In the back of his head, he decided he'd probably never get the hang of being in the driver's seat during sex when a couch was involved.

As he worked into her, Barbara put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him towards her. She whispered naughty things into his ear, having long since stopped being self-conscious at how she sounded. "Do you like it? Do you like being inside of me?" She asked, flicking her tongue out against his ear between moans and squeaks.

"Oh God yes." He said through gritted teeth, trying his damndest to keep up the same slow and steady pace. He shifted and adjusted his positioning according to her desires, trying to hit the spots that were itching her, as it were. She moved about as well, not content to just lay there and receive him, rolling her hips in rhythm to her boy, more than pleased with his pace.

Giving it a while longer, Deke wrapped his arms under her, picked her up off the couch with a surprised squeal, and while still inside her, he carried her to their small table, laying her down and holding her legs apart for grip while he continued driving into her.

The sudden manhandling was both surprising and enjoyable to Barbara. She began touching herself again, her fingers making a V shape as she worked in an up and down motion over her button. She loved the way his shaft felt between her fingers, hot and slick from her arousal. Before long, she felt another climax building, and surrendered to it.

When he saw her shut her eyes, he picked up his pace temporarily, giving it to her hard and fast. Her moans became a staccato whine, and he leaned down and kissed her to keep her quiet. She responded by digging her nails into his back and holding on as she was claimed by her orgasm, the numbness in her limbs followed by burning pleasure leaving her feeling ravished.

He slowed down with her before he too finished, and used his powers to disconnect the crucial link in his pleasure center, grateful beyond all measure he'd narrowed it down so that he could still experience her exquisite body in full. While he helped her ride out her orgasm, he began tracing his fingers along her hip tattoo. It was a black piece which curved up her hip and stomach, and down her leg in narrow sweeping arcs, in a delicate black lace pattern that suited her perfectly.

Barbara rose up once she'd collected herself, wrapped her legs around her boy, and steered him to the ground. She brought her feet under her in a more classic cowgirl, leaned back, and began riding her Mustang, bouncing on his shaft and feeling perfectly full from him. Deke licked his thumb and massaged her button gently as she rode him, trying to coax another climax from her.

Barbara leaned forward and slid down to her knees, sweat dripping from her nose onto him after a good while of this. Sensing her growing tired, Deke arched his back up, bringing his bottom off the floor and lifting her slightly, and began working into her. With her face so close to his ear; he could plainly hear her trying to contain the sounds of her pleasure, her sweet voice primal with her desire. On a whim, he reached up and took hold of her pigtails, giving them a short, but sharp tug. She moaned loudly to express her approval, and he held tight as he drove into her.

"Faster!" She asked through labored breathing. She could feel her body wanting to release again, and Deke would not disappoint the woman he loved. He picked up his pace considerably, and knew he'd hit it right when she bit down on him and dug her nails into his triceps. In short order, another powerful orgasm rippled through her, causing her to cling tight to him as her body exploded once more, leaving her seeing stars.

Deke reconnected his erogenous zones since he could feel her growing tired from the intense pleasure, and finally went at it for himself. She was soaked, extremely hot, and slipping on his body from their combined sweat. All three of these things certainly did it for him physically, and with her makeup running and the blissed out derpy look on her face, his mind was equally stimulated, so finding his own finish wasn't going to be much trouble.

Barbara felt her muscles contracting uncontrollably again, signaling a chain of climax coming on. She gripped her boy and held on tight as he continued to drive into her, each orgasm feeling like she was being slammed into a wall and blowing through it, only to hit another and repeat the process.

It was similar for Deke, that moment of slamming to a stop before the world broke open before him. He flipped her over so he could look at her as the finished out their fun, and smiled at her. Even in her pleasure drunk haze, she smiled back, the cool tile floor beneath her back soothing the fire in her body.

One last, small orgasm claimed her as her boy finished. He withdrew at the last moment, and pressed the bottom of his shaft against her button, the pulses of his body firing off sending pleasant little waves through her sex. She giggled as he sent a few streaks across her breasts and abdomen, mixing with their sweat and sliding down her body.

He fell to the floor next to her, just as interested in the cool tile on his flushed and scratched back as she was. "So, was that worth a box of cookies?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh goodness yes." She said innocently, going back into character, and taking the dirty girl act even farther by licking her fingers as she cleaned herself up.


	7. Chapter 7

February 4th  
Gotham City  
0145 EST

Hot water washed the remaining sweat and semen from Barbara's chest as she lay against Deke's chest in the shower. She luxuriated for a moment before turning around to look at her fiancée, her bright blue eyes open wide in a happy expression. Her makeup had ran in the steam, giving her a raccoon look, which made her all the more adorable in the moment. "So, you had fun huh?"

"Whole lot of fun, yeah." Deke said, putting his hands to either side of her head and gently guiding her into the stream of water. She relaxed into his grip, letting him manipulate her head to get all of her hair good and wet. "Where'd you come up with that idea anyway?"

"I found my old Gotham Prep uniform when I was getting some things from Dad's the other day, and I got the idea." She said in a relaxed tone. Before long, she could feel him massaging her scalp while he shampooed her hair. "And that pushup bra was from my first undercover mission, before I even started working with Batman. I had to sneak into a bar to track someone down."

"No wonder it seemed so tight on you." Deke commented. "It was hot though."

"Yeah, I thought so to. I might pick one up in the right size." She said, showing him the tip of her tongue. "By the way, what held you up getting home? I thought one of our upstairs neighbors was going to call the cops on me while I was waiting on you."

"So _that's_ where you were." Deke said. Her hiding place had been bugging him. "And I was late because the night shift nurse's car broke down. He had to take the bus."

He began rinsing her hair out, taking his sweet time so he could enjoy the scent of her wildflower shampoo. "So, we've both got early classes tomorrow." He said, summoning her conditioner to his hand.

"Yeah, but I also have that long break. Want to get lunch tomorrow?" She asked, melting into his touch as he conditioned her hair. While he hated that she'd gotten so much burnt off thanks to Darkseid's Parademons, the haircut she'd gotten to fix it looked great on her, and she was already in the process of growing it back out.

"My Latin class canceled actually. How about we go somewhere a little more exotic?" He asked her as she pushed against him to begin their dance in the shower.

"What'd you have in mind?" She asked, going on tiptoes to have an easier time reaching all of his hair. "Someplace warm maybe?"

"Okay, that sounds good. I just wanted to go someplace exotic, I wasn't sure where." He said, and sat down on a small field of telekinetic force to make life easier for his love. She blew him a raspberry and grabbed his bottle of two in one as it floated near her head.

"New Delhi?" She suggested as she squirted his shampoo and conditioner into her hand, which brought a snicker as it reminded her of their earlier activities.

"Hell yeah babe, I'm for it." Deke replied, loving the feel of her strong, agile fingertips on his scalp. He was putty in her hands as she scrubbed his long mane of hair.

"Awesome!" She said happily. "I can hit the Bank of Gotham and exchange some cash for Rupees. The exchange rate is _extremely_ favorable."

"Yeah? Like how?" He asked as she rinsed his hair, enjoying the hell out of having her breasts pressed up into his face. He couldn't resist giving her nipple a lick, which caused her to squeak and giggle in surprise.

"That out there wasn't enough for you?" She asked with an arched eyebrow. "Can I no longer satisfy my man? Is it me? Am I not doing enough kegels?" she added with a mocking woe is me attitude and barely keeping a straight face.

"Babe, you know full well you keep me happy." Deke said, snickering at her. He stood up and dispelled his telekinetic seat, and pulled her close to him, loving the slick feeling of their skin sliding against each other. "So happy, in fact, that I can't resist you."

"I can tell." She said, feeling him stirring against her sex. "But we've got class tomorrow and I'm already going to have a hard enough time waking up between getting you riled up and this wonderfully hot shower."

She punctuated her statement with a yawn, which was of course contagious. His shift at the clinic had made him tired before he ever got home. "Sorry about him, you know how he gets when you're all naked and wet."

February 9th  
Destin Florida  
1230 CST

She hated peace and quiet, more than anything, so to fix that problem, Maddie flicked on the stereo in the empty base, filling the air with the thumping bass of hip hop. She swiveled her hips as she went about the place, absently tidying up, trying to get into the habit of picking up after herself.

"It was a lot easier when there were maids around." She muttered, grabbing an empty bottle of Cabernet and stuffing it into the trash bag. Maybe she could talk Fractal into making some cleaning bots or something?

The music cut out and was replaced by a chiming sound. Frowning, she set the garbage bag down and walked over to the console, operating the holographic display like she'd built it. Immediately, a video call popped up. When she saw who was calling, she became grateful that there was a green painted wall behind her, specifically for the computer to replace it with a different background.

"Madeline." An older woman said in a snooty American accent. "It's been too long."

"Hello Gram." Maddie replied, faking a smile. "What's the occasion for the call?"

Gram adjusted her gaudy hat and turned to say something to one of the servants. "I'm calling because your mother has taken ill again."

"Good for her." Maddie said with a frown. "Maybe this time she'll actually die."

"Madeline Blanchette Endicott! You will not speak ill of your mother." Gram snapped.

"Why not, I'm just her daughter the whore." Maddie snarked, already tired of the call.

"Not any longer. I'm afraid you might be right. This episode is considerably worse than previous. If you've any desire to reconcile, this is going to be your last opportunity to do so." Gram said, sipping her tea.

"Okay, fine. Where is she?" Maddie said sourly. She didn't expect anything besides another reminder that she was nothing but a home wrecking whore and that she had no part of her mother's will. None of that was news.

"We're at the cottage in Big Sur. I felt the warm weather might ease her suffering." Gram said. "I hope to see you soon."

Cottage, yeah, right. The place was three times bigger than the base her team shared. It was a damn mansion, just like the other five they owned. "Maybe. Goodbye Gram." Maddie said, and cut the call.

She sat down on one of the couches, reached into the bag, and pulled the bottle of wine out. A final drop spilled to the floor and she just looked at it disappointedly. For a while, she sat there in a bleak study, before reaching into her bra and producing her phone. "Aasha," she said after dialing. "Are you doing anything for the next couple of days?"

February 10th  
Big Sur California  
1308 PST

Maddie and Aasha stepped off the small aircraft onto a private runway. "Such a rugged place." Aasha commented, looking at the majestic scenery surrounding the airfield.

"Yeah, the better to keep people out." Maddie said sourly. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Of course Maddie." Aasha said, taking the other girl's hand and squeezing it. "And thank you for trusting me."

"You're one of the few I do, chick." Maddie said, and pointed towards a liveried man standing next to a Land Rover. "There's our ride."

The man said nothing to either of the women as he drove, taking them along remarkably well paved roads through the rugged terrain. The Land Rover was rather unnecessary really, Aasha thought. Next to her in the back seat, Maddie looked uncomfortable and unhappy; especially dressed as she was in a fashionable, high cut and long skirted dress.

Upon arriving at the massive home, Maddie just gestured towards Aasha towards the front door. "We're here. Welcome to the Endicott family summer cabin." She said with a frown. "Before we go inside, I'm going to apologize for everyone in there. I imagine Gram will assume we're sleeping together, and likely she's going to treat you like any other foreigner. Expect her to talk loud and slow at you." Maddie said.

"I've dealt with racism before. At least there's not much likelihood of a pack of fraternity brothers referring to me as Kama Sutra, or a spinner for that matter. I really hate being called a spinner." Aasha said, walking along with her teammate, their feet treading on the well maintained stone walkway that led up to the front door of the house, flanked on either side by manicured cypress trees.

"Wow, people actually use that one?" Maddie said, shaking her head.

"Oh yes." Aasha replied. "Clearly, it's the natural born requirement of all short women to sit and spin."

"So, what I'm hearing is, Spinner and Tits McGee ride again." Maddie said with a snicker. It was her first laugh, no matter how small, since Gram had called. Aasha noticed it and cracked a grin.

"We ride indeed." Aasha replied, finding herself on the titanic front porch of the mansion. Maddie just opened the door and walked in like she owned the place, which, Aasha supposed, technically she did.

They were met at the door by one of the service staff, a younger Latina woman in a classic maid's outfit. Maddie introduced the two of them, and she led them out to the back patio. It was a perfect day for it too; mid-seventies with plenty of sunshine and a light breeze over the mountains carrying fresh, clean air.

Once they arrived to the family gathered there, Aasha reflexively grabbed Maddie's hand. Several very well dressed people were having tea while a shell of a woman lay in a customized hospital bed, hooked up to God knows what kind of equipment. A few wisps of hair clung to her head, while her skeletal arms were littered with IV tubing. She didn't even really look alive.

"Hello Grams." Maddie said, getting their attention, and pointedly not looking at the woman in the bed.

The older woman in the very fancy clothing turned to face the pair of visitors, stood with a pleasant enough smile, and approached them. "Madeline darling, I'm glad you changed your mind. I see you're traveling with help."

Turning to Aasha, she did indeed raise her voice to address her. "Thank. You. For. Coming. As. Well. Please. Feel. Welcome. Here!" she said, speaking considerably slower and gesturing about.

"That's very kind of you Ma'am. Thank you for such a warm welcome." Aasha said sweetly, trying to kill the woman with kindness.

Before they could say anything else, a very small voice called out, causing Maddie to turn around. A little boy, no older than six or seven rushed towards her his blue eyes bright beneath his conservative blonde hair; calling out Maddie's name. "Hello Maddie!" He said, wrapping his arms around her leg. "I missed you."

"I missed you too Drew." Maddie said, faking difficulty in hoisting the little fellow up. Aasha marveled at their resemblance.

"Mommy isn't feeling good." He said with a frown. "Did you come to tell her you're sorry?"

Maddie struggled to keep a smile on for the little guy. "I came to talk to Mom, yes." She said, evading the question. "Have you been good for Grams and your big brother Braeden?"

"Just like my big sister told me to be!" He said proudly. "Did you bring a girlfriend?" he asked, pointing to Aasha.

"Oh, no Drew, this is Aasha, my roommate. She's not my girlfriend." Maddie told him, letting him down. He rushed to Aasha without a hint of shyness, and hugged her about the waist. Maddie snickered at their close proximity in height, which earned her a wry look from Aasha.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Drew." Aasha said. "Would you like to show me around back here?" she asked, knowing Maddie needed some time.

"We can play on my playground! Come with me!" Drew said, tugging her by the hand. Maddie was reasonably sure he didn't quite grasp how much older she was than him, but there weren't many people she didn't trust more with him either.

"Just a roommate huh?" A tall, broadly built and very good looking man said, leaning over Maddie's shoulder. "If that's the case, you can give me her number, she's awfully cute."

"She's not your type Braeden." Maddie said derisively. "She's got standards."

"You wound me sister." Braden replied. "So seriously, did you come to talk to mom? She's not going to finish the month according to the doctors."

Maddie frowned. "I probably came to get reminded that I'm a homewrecking whore, but I've heard it so much it doesn't even faze me anymore. I had to try though."

"Mom's been asking about you sis. I think she's past what happened between you and Phil." Braeden said, offering her a bottle of water. Maddie opened it and took a drink, swallowing slowly. The cold water chilled her throat, giving her something to focus on besides giving up hope.

"I'll talk to her later this evening, after the sun goes down. She could use the sunshine." Maddie said, and looked out over the opulent back yard, watching Drew and Aasha playing on playground equipment that a park in any other city would be ecstatic to have. She didn't miss the lifestyle at all.

"The Amstels are throwing a party tonight if you and your friend want to come." Braeden said, taking a seat at the patio table. Maddie followed suit and sat with him, her mixed emotions wrapping her stomach in knots. She, for once, was not in a mood to party.

"I'll come, but don't expect me to do much." Maddie compromised, thinking she might very well need the distraction.

"That's fine sis. You and your friend can ride with me. We can take the Bentley." Braeden offered. "But I've got some calls to make, if you'll excuse me."

Maddie watched him go, and sat in silence, trying to enjoy the California air. She deflected her Grandmother's verbal assaults with practiced ease, not caring much about being nagged over her lack of husband, or career for that matter. She kept glancing over to her mother, so frail, and broken.

Finally, the sun began to dip over the horizon. The service staff wheeled Angelica Endicott into her bedroom in the mansion, and left her there to lay in the dark and quiet. That they were effectively waiting on her to just hurry up and die was both saddening, but also amusing. She'd held on a year past her expiration date, mostly out of spite.

"Mom?" Maddie asked from the cracked door. "Mom, can we talk?"

"Come in." Angelica croaked, barely over a whisper. "Glad you came."

Maddie walked in and took a seat, still not trusting anything to do with the place, or the family. "Gram says the docs aren't hopeful, and I, I feel bad for not coming sooner."

"Not much to see." Angelica wheezed.

"You look good mom." Maddie lied. "Anyway, here I am, and I don't know what to say."

"Just like me." Angelica said. "I'm sorry about Phil." Angelica said, barely gesturing with a hand. Maddie came to her bedside and took it, marveling at the woman's grip.

"No mom, I'm sorry." Maddie said, already on the verge of tears. "I was mad at everyone and I took it out on you all with Phil. I should never have done that."

"He could have said no." Angelica said, as sternly as possible, given the circumstance. "And I listened to Gram over you."

Maddie sniffled her tears away. "It's okay mom, I turned out okay."

"You turned out like your father." Angelica said. "Not Morgan, your real father. You've been in my will the whole time, and I'm leaving you a box." She said, coughing through her words. "Everything's in there. I should have told you sooner."

Her emotions hit her like a freight train. She'd come expecting to be berated again, and Gram had done a good job of trying. Instead, her mother was admitting the man she thought was her dad was, in fact, not. "Was my real father, was he like me?"

"If you mean special," Angelica said, coughing again. "Yes. It's all in the box."

Maddie couldn't keep it back. The sorrow and longing on her mother's face was killing her. A tear fell down her cheek, followed by more, as she could read how much her mother missed the man responsible for bringing her into the world. "Mom, I'm so sorry."

"Hush Maddie." Angelica said. "I don't have time for tears. Go spend time with Drew, I didn't schedule dying until autumn, so enjoy your time with him."

"I will Mom." Maddie sniffled.


	8. Chapter 8

February 10th  
Big Sur California  
2247 PST

"This is quite a party." Aasha said over the thumping of the music. The Amstel family apparently had no care to give, as the place was full of teenagers and young adults, drinking, enjoying some recreational pharmaceuticals, dancing, and the kinds of activities that came along with it.

"Yep, it's a rager alright." Maddie said sardonically, staring into her red plastic cup. She and Aasha had scooted away from the main crowd, and sat in front of an unattended firepit. The superhero gig had gotten them into a safety mindset, with wildfires so prone to California, an out of control cinder could spell disaster for thousands of people.

"You know what you need Maddie?" Aasha asked, taking another sip from her cup. "You need to get laid."

"You're drunk Aasha, and for once, I don't." Maddie said, taking a look at the merry features on her friend's face. The girl couldn't handle her drink; that was certain. She'd been drinking from the same cup all night and she was already edging into 'I love you' territory.

"I do." Aasha giggled. "You should call Mustang, and tell him to fly over here."

Maddie shook her head and wrapped her friend up in a sideways hug. "You know, I bet Beegee would have something to say about that."

"You're right." Aasha said, pointing at her friend. "I should call them both."

"Yeah, that'll go over well. I've been barking up that tree for a while now." Maddie complained, took another drink, and set her cup down.

"Well if you ask nice I bet they'd think about it," Aasha slurred triumphantly. "Because they're both a lot of fun, if you know what I mean."

"Aasha, are you okay?" Maddie asked, looking into her friend's eyes.

"I'll be better once I get some dick." Aasha said, almost falling off the bench despite being supported by her friend. "And some," she began, and giggled, flicking her exceptionally long tongue around. "And some pussy in my face."

"Oh my God you're not joking." Maddie said, wishing she had better light. Something was profoundly wrong with Aasha.

"No madam, I am not." Aasha said, mocking a stern teacher's attitude. "I have quite well enjoyed the fruits of both, and might I say, get yourself a psychic, they're such fun!"

"Yeah I bet he is." Maddie said sarcastically, scooting aside and laying her friend down.

She picked up Aasha's cup and took a tentative sip. She swished it in her mouth and spat it out into the fire, pouring the rest out on the ground.

"Alcohol abuse!" Aasha slurred, the words barely intelligible.

"I'm going to kill someone." Maddie said, and picked her now passed out friend up. "I'm going to kill them and go to jail and do my time standing on my head."

She glanced around the party as she carried Aasha toward the cars parked outside. She wasn't the most analytically minded member of the team, but she wasn't stupid, and she was alert. A couple of people checked to see what was going on, but she could read disappointment on the faces of a couple of boys. She could start there for sure.

"Get her back to the cabin." Maddie instructed the driver.

"I can't leave Mr. Endicott, I'm sorry." The driver said as Maddie loaded Aasha in the back seat. "And what if she vomits in the car?"

"Then you clean it up, and if you don't take her now, you'll be eating your next meal out of a straw." Maddie threatened, picking the guy up by the front of his shirt and lifting him several inches. "Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." The driver said, and hopped into the car, pulling away quickly. Once that was handled, she turned back to face the house and get herself some answers.

Maddie willed her pheromones into overdrive, using them to capture attention. Upon entering, as she expected, she got the looks of almost every man nearby, and a few women, though several more women were giving her dirty looks, a side effect of her powers.

When the people she noticed earlier weren't showing, she began asking around, her powers serving almost as much to hinder as help, as many people were trying to just get her attention and favor. She finally just stalked through the house and hoped they hadn't bailed, because it was hard telling where they'd go after that. She almost called Koa, but he had no way to get to her position in any real reasonable amount of time.

No, she'd have to do this alone, and did it with sheer cussed determination, willpower, and attitude. When she had covered the upstairs and down, she went to the basement, where the Amstel's kept a fairly sizable wine cellar. When the door wouldn't open, she frowned, glanced around, and ripped the thing from its hinges.

Within, the two people she was looking for, along with a few others, were currently in the process of zip typing a few girls at their wrists, ankles, and knees. "Wrong night to try this." She said, and clenched her fists.

Despite seeing this woman just yank the door free, a few drew knives and another produced a suppressed pistol. He leveled it first at her to get her attention, and then aimed it at one of the passed out women laying on the floor. "You make a move, they start dying."

Maddie pushed her pheromones again, batting her eyes at the man with the gun. "Now, why would you want to do that? Maybe we could all have some fun with them." She suggested, sliding on her feet extremely slowly towards the man.

He turned, and leveled his pistol on her. "Don't think so honey, you're not my type." He said, and put three into her chest.

The bullets, slower than usual because they were subsonic and made to be used in a suppressed pistol, bounced off of Maddie's torso without so much as a scratch. All the shooter could see was Maddie giving an unholy grin before his world went black.

The others could see just fine what had happened, but were too scared to believe it. She'd made the distance between herself and their boss in less than a second, and had hit him all of once, sending him flying into the wall in a heap. She turned, leveled her glare at her next target, and in short order sent him flying as well.

It was over too quickly for Maddie's tastes though. None of them could put up a fight worth mentioning, so it left her feeling a little unfulfilled. She flicked her smartwatch on to report the situation to the authorities, but she heard a noise behind her.

"Thanks for packing that one up for me, sis." Braeden said, leaning casually against the doorframe. "I knew she'd be an easy one."

"Braeden, what the hell are you into?" Maddie asked, not sure if she was even looking at her baby brother, the one who used to try and feed her dolls people food in case they were hungry.

"Family business I suppose. The money's gotta come from somewhere, and people pay top dollar for first dibs at spoiled American girls."

"Human trafficking isn't how our family made their money Braeden." Maddie spat furiously.

"No, but everything's a hustle, and roofies are cheap." He said with a shrug, and casually tore part of the doorframe off, brandishing it like a club. "I could make a fortune off you in fact."

Maddie took a stance, prepared to defend herself, but a large part of her was left wondering where her brother got his strength. She didn't have time to think though. He darted towards her, much faster than she was, and took a swipe at her with the piece of hard wood. It was rare something hurt her, but this did. "My booty call hits harder than you do." She said, and it was true.

She returned the favor by upercutting him in the solar plexus, lifting him a foot off the ground from the impact. He landed on his knees, but close enough he could throw an elbow into her abdomen, shoving her back several feet into the wine cellar. He was on his feet quickly, and pressed his advantage, ramming her with a shoulder check into the thick stone wall.

Maddie deflected as many of his raining strikes as she could, though several got through. She finally lashed out, shoving him hard, but instead of coming back at her, he turned tail and ran. "Mustang, how fast can you get to Carmel Valley California?" She asked after keying his smartwatch from hers. She despised asking for help, but it'd take Koa and Fractal too long to reach them, and if Aasha wound up on a plane, he was the only other flier on the team.

Groggily, he answered. "Five minutes to the Zeta, where's it close to?"

"San Francisco, maybe a hundred miles south." She replied, already dashing out the wine cellar to hunt her brother down. If she found him, she found Aasha.

"Is everything okay?" Maddie heard a female voice say, equally sleepy sounding.

"Tell her no, but we can handle it." Maddie said, and killed the call. Before she went up the stairs, she flicked a concealed switch on her watch, and let the nanoweave costume pour over her body, using the material in her clothes to reform into her crimefighting gear. After that, a change to her pheromones to something much more predatory, and people wouldn't want to pay any attention to her.

She followed where people were rubbernecking, and saw a door blown off its hinges. That was his exit point, so she followed, pushing to her top speed. She didn't like to advertise that she could outrun a Ferarri in a sprint, but these were special circumstances. The downside, her brother had proven himself faster, and she wasn't sure by how much.

The torn up ground leading away from the mansion was a clear indicator, so she followed it. Her pace was brutal though, and her lungs began burning not long after starting. She reminded herself she needed to invest in a better sports bra and do more cardio, once her brother was dealt with.

Forced to slow down, she ran along the path he'd kicked up, and got her bearings. He was headed to the airfield. With a scowl, she headed that way, trucking along at a more reasonable hundred and fifty miles per hour. Each step drove her fury up higher, so by the time she arrived, she was in a mood to kill.

Fortunately, planes took time to take off, so when she spotted the private jet her family owned, with the lights on and prepping to taxi, she had her target. Maddie took a long, flying leap towards the thing, bringing both fists down over the front of the engine cowling on the left wing. There'd be no takeoff after that.

The side door flew open and sailed across the empty runway. Maddie, on her feet after her assault on the aircraft, turned to face her brother, but was met by an RPG. Not sure if she could handle the impact, she had to dash away in a hurry.

Behind her, the rocket went off, and the pressure wave tossed her several feet across the runway. "Sorry sis, it's nothing personal. Just business." Braeden called out mockingly, and hopped lightly out of the side of the aircraft, landing on his feet.

"You're a piece of shit Braeden." Maddie said, turning her head and spitting out a large gob of blood.

"I can live with that." He replied, and dashed towards her at high speed, ending his motion with a heavy kick to her chest. The additional momentum was enough to send her flying, and Maddie was certain he'd broken a few of her ribs. It's not at all how she pictured this evening going.

He was on top of her in a heartbeat, repeatedly punching her in the face with a fury that indicated that this was, in fact, personal. "I told Drew about you." He sneered, punishing his sister with heavy blows. "He knows you're his mother and you wanted to hide it. He cried his pretty little eyes out too, you should've seen it! Fuckin' priceless!"

Maddie screamed in fury and stopped defending her face, instead, she grabbed him by the shirt and flipped him over her, adding to his momentum by shoving a foot into his stomach to push. She came up to her feet and turned on him, kicking him mercilessly in the ribs.

"You're a bastard!" She screamed, tears trickling down her cheeks to mingle with the blood pouring from her nose and mouth. "Fuck you Braeden!"

He rolled into a ball to protect himself from the worst of her assault, though he was not in the best shape. She was considerably stronger, and it showed. Fortunately though, his people in the plane had finally regained their presence of mind to cover their boss, and began dumping out of the aircraft, M4's in hand.

They opened fire on her, and while the small but very fast rounds weren't an individual threat, she was being peppered by them, which still hurt. It forced her off of her brother, which gave him an opportunity to run.

He dashed off at full speed, which he'd clocked at around three hundred miles per hour. There was no way she could catch him, especially with his people finally earning their pay. He'd just get to San Jose and get on a boat, and be hidden somewhere nice in Mexico in no time.

"The hell?" He said, when he saw a shape descending from the sky in the moonlight. It looked like, no, there was no way in hell there was a floating cowboy out here. But, it was apparently the case, the cowboy soared in next to him, pacing him quite casually.

"Pussy." The flying cowboy said with a disgusted sneer, and made a wave of his hand. Braeden felt himself being lifted up and launched backwards, right back to his very pissed off sister.

He hit the ground in a skid, the road rash ripping his expensive clothing up as he slid several feet. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw his men lying about in a pile, moaning, groaning, or just plain bleeding. Finally, he saw legs, and followed them up to see his sister, cracking her knuckles.

From above them, the cowboy who called him a pussy yelled out. "He's all yours. I'll just make sure he don't run again."

"Thanks beautiful." Maddie called up to him, and then looked down at her brother, picking him up by the shirt. "Now, where were we?"

"Talking this through?" Braeden asked, before his world went dark.

* * *

Aasha groaned as she sat up. Her head was pounding something horrible, but the immediate squeeze she felt around her torso at least put her in a better mood about it. "Where am I?" She asked, trying to shake her head clear, and deeming that a horrible idea.

"You're safe." She heard Maddie say, and opened her eyes to see her friend hugging her. She was on a rather nice sofa in a large study, with the fireplace crackling merrily. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm alive Maddie, it's okay. Also, you're in your costume." Aasha pointed out.

"Yeah, we had some problems to handle." Maddie said, letting the woman go and standing back up.

"You're beaten to death!" Aasha exclaimed, trying to stand up but falling quite quickly to her bum after a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.

"I'll live, and be quiet. The place is huge but we don't want to try waking everyone." Maddie said, handing Aasha a bottle of water.

"So, what happened?" Aasha asked, sipping her water slowly.

"Well, short answer, my brother's an asshole, you got roofied, but you're okay now." Maddie said, pacing the floor with an icepack over her left eye and cheek. "Long answer is all of that, plus my brother has some explaining to do, so I can tell you more later."

"Certainly." Aasha replied, breathing through another wave of dizziness. "Where are you going to question him?"

"I'm not. Mustang is taking him to some backwoods place in Kentucky, so if Braeden gets loose, he'll get lost. I think he's going to pick his brain apart." Maddie said, sitting down next to Aasha. "And speaking of Mustang, me and you need to talk."

"I thought I said it was just a crush Maddie. I'm in no mind to discuss this now." Aasha said as sweetly as possible.

"Yeah, except it isn't. You're mouthy on drugs, and you all but fessed up. It's just a damn good thing it was to me." Maddie said. "Why'd you lie to me?"

"Because I promised I'd keep it quiet." Aasha said with a sigh and a slump of her small shoulders. "It's not something we wanted advertised, for obvious reasons. We play around a couple of times a year and that's it. I'm not some sister wife in training."

"Okay, well, I won't say anything, but you might want to tell them I know anyway." Maddie suggested. "And you're sure you're not being used?"

"I promise, it's all very respectful and thoughtful. Thank you for caring, and really, thank you for helping me too." Aasha said. "I shudder to think what might have happened."


	9. Chapter 9

February 11th  
Somewhere in the Appalachians  
0255 EST

"How'd you like a taste of your own medicine there dickweed?" Was the very first thing Braeden heard upon waking up. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were wrapped around the bole of a very large tree and secured by extremely heavy chains.

As his vision grew clearer, he could see that flying cowboy, casually chewing on a piece of hay, and leaning against another tree, looking quite casual. "You're thinking you can offer me money. Don't. It's a waste of time. Now you're thinking you might can break them chains. Don't. It's a waste of time. Oh, lookie there, now you're thinking I can read your mind, so you better start trying to think of something to keep me out. Do I really need to tell you that's a waste of time?"

"You can't just hold me like this. I've got lawyers you know!" Braeden yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Yeah, I bet you do." Mustang said, tossing his piece of hay to the side. "Screaming's just as much a waste of time too, by the way. Only people come out this way are shiners, and it's the off season. So, let's make this quick. I'm gonna have me a look in your brains, and there's really dick you can do about it. I should apologize though, I ain't normally this salty, but you had one of my friends doped, whipped the piss out of another, and really, let's face it, I was in bed with my lady friend, so I'm all kinds of having a crappy night. Unfortunately for you, that makes you my bitch."

"Tell me something, Braeden, you ever seen Deliverance?" Mustang asked, leaning his head in close to his prisoner's ear.

* * *

"Yeah, he wasn't the shot caller." Deke said in to his phone, several yards away from Braeden. "I wasn't exactly surprised either."

He paused a moment and looked at his smartwatch. "Naw, she's still awake. Yeah, seriously. We don't sleep much when the other's out alone."

"You still alive over there dickweed?" Deke called out, checking on his prisoner. A clear 'fuck you' met his ears.

"No, I was talking to your brother. Yeah, I called him dickweed. You did? Seriously? That's hilarious." Deke said, gnawing on a protein bar.

"Yeah, I'm dropping him off at Precinct fifty two in Gotham, they're built to handle guys like Bane and Croc, they can handle your brother too. They can only hold him twenty four hours on suspicion, but you're getting the other girls to give witness statements too, right?"

"Okay, cool. Yeah, I'll get with you two tomorrow afternoon." Deke said, and hung his phone up.

He walked back to Braeden, still struggling against the heavy logging chains holding him to the tree. "Alright, you better hope you don't get airsick." He said, and released his telekinetic grip on the chains. Braeden, of course, tried to bolt, but he'd telegraphed his willingness to run, so it was nothing to catch him in a telekinetic grip and hoist him back into the air. After that, they were Gotham bound.

February 11th  
Destin, Florida  
1345 CST

Maddie and Aasha's ears perked when they heard the Zeta system fire up. "Recognize Batgirl Bee One Six, Recognize Mustang E Zero Three."

"Before you say anything, we both had classes." Deke drawled, the moment he stepped off the Zeta pad. "But, still, sorry it took so long."

"Jesus Maddie." Barbara said, stepping past her beloved. The girl definitely looked like she'd gone a few rounds with someone near her equal. "Do you need to see a doctor?"

Maddie waved her hand. "No, I might have your mister do some mojo later if that's cool though. Mind if I ask why you're here though? This is kind of an in-house thing."

"Perfectly cool, and I'm here because your house and my house are dealing with the same problem. Our investigations are dovetailing, and your brother's the key to it." Barbara said, not entirely offended at being asked about her presence. She'd have done the same if one of the Movers had shown up for a Bat family situation, her fiancée mostly excluded from that.

"So he's mixed up in more than just kidnapping girls to sell on the black market? I shouldn't be surprised." Maddie said, sitting back down in one of the chairs in the living space.

"He's mixed up in a lot worse." Barbara said, and sat down across from her. "Batman had been working on figuring out how Darkseid had managed to get his technology all over the world for the invasion. During his investigation, the Omega symbol kept showing up, and your brother had an Omega tattoo. Two of his men did as well. This isn't coincidental, especially when we checked to see if they belonged to fraternities which used omega in the name."

"Braeden didn't." Maddie said with a sigh. "So, he was mixed up with the people that brought that monster to Earth?"

"Yeah, it looks that way. Deke was able to get some names from your brother that Robin and Nightwing are following up on as we speak. I'll be doing some work later too." Barbara said, putting her hand on Maddie's knee. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really. I kinda always knew he'd do anything to get ahead, I figured I'd have a conversation like this at some point." Maddie sighed. She had far too much on her plate at the moment, and it was beginning to crush her under the weight.

"Okay, well, you're looped in, and you'll stay that way. I'll call you tonight, or first thing tomorrow if I'm in too late." Barbara said kindly. She might have some issues with the girl's attitude where she and her fiancée were concerned, but nobody deserved to find something like this out.

In the kitchenette, Deke and Aasha had been keeping out of the way, just being quiet and listening. Aasha finally broke the silence. "Can I return with you and Babs to Gotham? There's something I need to tell you both."

Deke could feel the discomfort and worry pouring from the girl, and he wondered if it had to do with someone getting more handsy (or worse) than previously considered. "Sure Aasha, we're just sittin' in until tonight until she heads out to Mykonos with Wondergirl."

"Mykonos is lovely. I wish she didn't have to go for business." Aasha said, temporarily forgetting why she was so worried.

"Thank you Deke." Aasha said, when she remembered.

February 11th  
Gotham City  
1735 EST

"So," Aasha said to her occasional lovers and permanent (so she hoped) friends, who were sitting with her at the small table between the living space and the kitchenette. "When I was under the influence of those drugs, I said some things to Maddie I shouldn't have."

"Like what?" Barbara asked, her head tilted in curiosity.

"Well, I sort of maybe let it slip that we've, well, played around a bit before, and honestly, if this means you never want to speak to me again, I completely understand. I mean, the whole situation is rubbish all the way around, and really, I know the drugs were no excuse, I should have absolutely known better. I'll be going now, really, I should have just called, I'm so sorry." Aasha said, her mouth firing off a million miles an hour as she found herself on the verge of breaking down.

"Aasha, please, slow down." Barbara said calmly. Deke didn't detect a bit of anger or unhappiness from her, which was a good sign. "Look, this is something we've been doing a few years now, so I really expected this conversation to have happened sooner. Well, I didn't expect you to be drugged and kidnapped, that's completely awful. Honestly, we were talking about you the other night, and we agree, it's surprising you hadn't broken up with us yet. Not that I'm hoping for it or anything, mind you."

"Why ever would you think that?" Aasha asked. Deke got out of his seat and put his hand on her arm for a moment, before stepping away. She couldn't help but smile reflexively.

"Hang on a second Aasha." Barbara said, and glanced at her boy. "You trust me to speak for you?"

"Well yeah, I'll be back shortly." He said, and tossed his coat on. He paused long enough to plant a smooch on Aasha's cheek and another on Barbara's lips.

"So, while he's getting us, whatever it is he's thinking about, we can talk. Anyway, we both figured that you'd become a lot more comfortably with intimacy lately, so you might be more interested in finding someone you can keep to yourself." Barbara said, condensing the conversation she and Deke had the other night.

"I swear Babs, I can take a hint, it's okay." Aasha said, still visibly upset.

"I'm not hinting at anything Aasha." Barbara replied gently. "I'm really not. Deke said you can be a little possessive with people you care about. That's why we assumed you wanted someone to yourself. Really, this was all assumption and guesswork."

"I am a little possessive of Deke." Aasha admitted shyly.

"Well, you sleep with him on occasion, and you don't act like that with me, so you're forgiven." Barbara replied. She knew she could be territorial, and having Aasha come play with them every now and again was doing wonders for her attitude in that regard. At the end of the day, she knew she could be an Alpha bitch, but at least she could keep it in check now.

"I'm actually possessive of you too though." Aasha said. "Do you remember the big Fourth of July thing the League was asked to attend last year?"

"Yeah, I remember it really well. Batman and Captain Atom both insisted our teams come too, because the whole League together in one place was an invitation for trouble. What does that have to do with you feeling possessive?"

"We were talking, and that reporter tried pulling you away for an interview. I got a bit jealous of her too." Aasha said, still so shy. "I suppose I just like the idea of, well, you know. It's why I got so terrified."

Barbara blushed at her words. Deke rarely admitted his jealousy, which was probably the smarter course of action, but on the rare occasions he did, it made her feel special. Aasha was apparently no different. "Just don't fry anyone and we're cool." Barbara said to her.

"Oh, never that. Though, back to the subject, with you two getting married, I assume you'll want to keep to yourselves?" Aasha said, shifting in her seat.

"We're both making silly assumptions now." Barbara replied. "If this were an all-day everyday kind of situation, maybe, but that's just not the case. So long as you don't turn down a good opportunity because of our arrangement, then what we're doing is perfectly fine. In fact, how about this? I'm only in Mykonos for the night, doing some snooping at a bank. When I get back, I have to get my wisdom teeth out, so once I'm healed up from that, maybe we can bend the birthday rule and have a whirl?"

"Do you think we should tell him that?" Aasha asked. Barbara's face had grown devious, and the moment drew Aasha in.

"Let's not." Barbara said with a smirk. "In fact, I have an idea. Are you camera shy?"

"I'm all ears." Aasha replied with a devious smile.

February 12th  
Honolulu Hawaii  
1450 HAST

"So, you likin' the islands brah?" Liho said around a mouthful of his loco moco. Across from him, Kristof was absently chewing on his own portion of the native dish. He'd been quiet all day, and it was clear to Liho that there was more bothering him.

"Oh, yeah, they're beautiful." Kristof said, pushing his square paper bowl over to his friend and teammate. "Sorry, no appetite. I can't finish it."

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Liho said, and dumped Kristof's portion in with his. "Why you so bummed though? Hawaii supposed to make everybody happy."

"Family issues. I don't want to burden you with them." Kristof said, waving his hand dismissingly. "Perhaps you could show me how to surf later?"

"Sure. North shore got choke big waves this time of year. Good thing you got me teach you how." Liho said. While certainly not the brightest crayon in the box, he was extremely observant. He had the good sense not to press, especially when Maddie had explained his whole situation. As a human being modified by Atlantean biotech, Liho certainly understood.

"I welcome the challenge." Kristof said, marveling at the ability his friend had to shovel gratuitous amounts of food into his face. He wondered if wolves could feel envious of it.

Liho was going to say something else when his biotech enhanced hearing detected something outside. He frowned, and slid his bowl to the side. "Game face brah. There a big jewelry store across the street. I think it's getting hit."

"Well, perhaps this will allow me to work up an appetite then." Kristof said, and took mental command of the small nanite swarm he kept on his person, setting them on the task of modifying his clothes to become his costume.

The two left the small beachside diner to see several armed men shooting back into the jewelry store. Bold as ever, Koa dashed straight off towards them, mindless of potential danger. Fractal used this distraction to fully complete the transformation into his hero guise, and set about helping out.

His first target was their obvious getaway vehicle, a large, unmarked white van that the thieves were trying to use as cover from the armed security inside the store. Fractal's swarm sought it out, and began breaking it down, converting the material into more and more of themselves. Like usual, the process grew exponentially, giving Koa time to put the thieves into a more 'docile' state.

And, that's exactly what happened when a fist the size of a cinder block comes crashing into a person's face. They get a _lot_ more docile. "Come get it!" Koa called out, like he was telling the crowd that dinner was ready.

When the attention of the armed thieves turned squarely to him, it gave the outclassed security within the store a chance to collect themselves, and more importantly, their wounded. It also served to help these thieves empty their weapons of ammunition. Since Koa had been experiencing some trouble completely deflecting ballistic ammunition, he'd gone in for a small upgrade. Now, he didn't even need to worry about picking lead out of his chest anymore, the rounds just broke up upon impact.

Koa came in swinging, ignoring the small arms fire being unloaded onto him. One, then another of the thieves fell victim to him, one going flying with a hard uppercut, while another crumpled where he stood to a relatively light elbow to the solar plexus. Koa was powerful, but he also had control.

The van, on the other hand, there was no such mercy for it. What had started as beginning to almost melt; had turned very quickly into full dissolution. The remaining members of the heist had to quickly scramble away, one of them dropping an AK-74 as it too began to dissolve. Fractal cracked a grin at the panic he'd wrought in them, and took advantage of it, ordering his now massive swarm to form itself into a corral to keep the perpetrators contained until the police could safely collect them.

Koa saw his partner's work and stopped swinging, breaking into a full, deep belly laugh. When the thieves saw what was happening, they tried breaking away and running, but the swarm, massive from the addition of their van, was too big, penning them in in less than a second.

Of course, cornered, the last couple tried putting up a fight, but it wasn't much of one. They had no chance against an elite Atlantean warrior, especially one who'd been training in unarmed combat his entire life. "Not even a challenge brah!" Koa called out to Fractal as he ripped an MP5 aparts, while casually strolling over to the corral he'd crafted.

With a mental command, and a wave of his hand for theatrics' sake, he commanded his swarm to collect what the thieves had stolen, a large black metal briefcase. He also gestured towards Koa, and a small gate appeared, giving him an exit.

"What were they after?" Koa asked, looking at the briefcase. It had some tech around the band, and large locks on either side of the handle.

"Biometric lock, I'm afraid I don't know." Fractal said, his own curiosity poking at him.

"And you never will." A suited man in a government issued suit and haircut said, walking up from an unmarked car. He flashed FBI credentials and took the case from Fractal.

"Very well then," Fractal said, a bit miffed at the man's rudeness. "Agent Holloway. You're welcome, in any case."

"Sure kid." The man said, and walked back over to his vehicle. "You can drop that corral now. HPD is here." He added over his shoulder.

"What a dick." Koa commented with a frown. Fractal waited until the group of officers had tasers in hand and relinquished his control of the metallic pen, commanding the nanoswarm to rebuild the van where it stood.

"Yeah, that's a word for it." Fractal groused, and watched as the uniformed police officers collect the thieves while EMS made their way into the store to check on the security and employees inside.

"Must not have hit him hard enough." Koa said, nudging Fractal. He pointed towards one of the thieves who decided resisting arrest was a good idea. He managed to get loose from the police, but one had him by the shirt. When he tugged away, it ripped off, showing a large Omega tattoo across his back.

"That's what Maddie was talking about." Fractal said. "We might not get those surf lessons in."

"Heh heh, dumbass." Koa snickered when the man got tased. Looking back to Fractal, he shrugged. "Hawaii always gonna be here, the waves never gonna stop. Always time to surf brah. No other time to investigate but now."


	10. Chapter 10

February 12th  
Gotham City  
1135 EST

"Okay babe, take it easy." Deke said, guiding Barbara into the car Alfred had been kind enough to let them borrow. Eventually, he was going to have to break down and bring the Chevelle up, or buy a beater for himself.

Barbara mumbled something completely unintelligible as her fiancée guided her gently into the passenger seat. He'd never repeat it, but she looked so pitiful, doped to the gills with a mouth full of cotton. Sliding into the driver's seat, Deke turned the engine of the Honda over, and pulled out.

Barbara mumbled again, and poked him in the shoulder. "What do you want Darlin'?" He asked patiently.

Barbara sighed and fumbled around a bit, pulling some of the cotton out of her mouth. "Why aren't we having babies?" she muttered through the anesthesia fog.

"We aren't married yet." Deke said with a patient smile.

"How come? We're grown-ups now." She pouted, adorably so.

"Yes we are, but we have to wait until we're married first." He replied, trying not to laugh at her. He checked his mirrors and changed lanes, heading out of town to return the car and let Alfred look after her like he'd insisted upon doing.

"How about after a milkshake instead?" She counter-offered, trying to get comfortable in the car.

"Maybe finish school first?" He replied, still as patient as possible.

"We have to finish school for a milkshake? That's bullshit." She mumbled.

* * *

Once she was laying down comfortably in one of the spare rooms in Wayne Manor, being attended to by Alfred, Deke went to the study and took the clock entrance down to the cave. Dick had texted him while he was waiting on Barbara at the surgeon's office, telling him they needed to talk.

"Y'know, when Bruce gets back, you're gonna have to explain why you're so comfortable in his chair." Deke said to Dick, who was working on the big computer. Several screens were filled with information, cross-referenced searches for the Omega symbol, the video available of Darkseid's invasion, and some historical data.

"Why? It's my chair." Batman said, turning around to face his visitor. Bruce smirked on the inside at Deke's bug-eyed reaction.

"Yeah, I'm behind you." Dick replied, stepping away from the wall. "How's she doing?"

"I'mma do some mojo for her after this meeting. She'll be up on her feet by tonight, but I can't promise she'd be good to patrol. The doc said she was maybe the easiest extraction he's ever done and that she'd be good fairly soon, but to not get reckless. Soft food for a week and no major exertion for a couple days. All in all, she's awesome, considering the circumstances." Deke drawled. He'd gotten better with his powers over the past couple of years, but when it came to kicking another person's healing into overdrive, he was still dealing with their own body's ability. In fact, it would have taken him much longer had it been anyone besides her.

"Good. We're going to need her." Batman said, and pulled his chair away from the computer. "The League is putting all hands on this. Your team, and Kaldur's will be correlating leads to confirm or disprove this hypothesis. I believe Darkseid was aided by a group known as the Cult of Apokalips. A few hours ago, a group bearing the same Omega tattoos tried robbing a jewelry store in Honolulu. Fractal and Koa were able to stop them, and the FBI took into custody what they were after, which is this."

Batman pointed to a jeweled scepter on the computer screen. "Preliminary analysis indicates alloys not found on Earth, and also matching metals from extraterrestrial weapons and equipment trafficked by Intergang. The information Batgirl and Wonder Girl were able to gather on Mykonos indicates that the Cult of Apokalips is bankrolling these operations. This is the best opportunity to cripple them, once and for all."

"I've relayed orders to Kaldur and Fractal, who will be briefing the teams tomorrow at six am, eastern time, in the Watchtower. Get some rest." Batman finished

February 13th  
Coast City  
0430 PST

"Oracle is online." Came across the earpiece worn by Superboy. He and Wolf stood backed around the corner of a building, with eyes on an old, Victorian style mansion sitting quietly on the outskirts of downtown proper, in an old historic district.

"Alpha team is eyes on." Superboy reported.

February 13th  
Star City  
0432 PST

"Bravo Team is on." Reported Aqualad from beneath the sound. Above him, Daeva floated a few feet above the placid waters, concealed within the fog.

A yacht sat moored at a private marina, and it was filled to the brim with enough money and drugs to last the Star City elite for a decade. In a few minutes, it would be sitting at the bottom of the sound.

February 13th  
Central City  
0533 CST

"Charlie Team is on." Fractal said from within the shell of his latest creation. While it appeared to be a construction crane, such appearances were deceiving. He'd unleashed his swarm on it, and now, it was barely restrained liquid, awaiting his command.

Beneath him, Kid Flash was waiting on the Go order, barely contained by his excitement. He'd mode everyone he had to, and he'd do it in the blink of an eye.

February 13th  
Dallas Texas  
0537 CST

"Delta Team is go." Blue Beetle said. His scarab could feel Miss Martian floating near him, but her camouflage abilities had grown by leaps and bounds, leaving him with a difficult time in pinpointing her exactly.

[You ready for this, Blue?] M'gann asked once she felt the mind of their target, a young, wealthy oil baron.

[Si, hermana.] Jaime and the Scarab replied in tandem.

February 13th  
Dakota City  
0545 CST

Beast Boy belched, his hands flying to his mouth in shock. "Sorry, Echo team is ready." He said, crinkling his nose and the smell of chicken whizzies that had come back up. Static just looked at him in the most disappointed way possible.

"You done yet bro?" He asked, and motioned towards the trailer park responsible for a massive amount of crystal meth flooding the Midwest. Beast Boy's answer was to turn into a massive green Rottweiler.

February 13th  
New Orleans Louisiana  
0650 CST

Tigress keyed her comm. "Foxtrot is on." She replied quietly, and gave a nod to Godiva. Haitian gun runners had decided to make New Orleans a new marketplace, and their ties to the Cult of Apokalips weren't hidden well enough to let them escape notice.

February 13th  
Lexington Kentucky  
0800 EST

Mustang adjusted his hat and tie, and gave a glance to Bumblebee, who was smoothing out a very southern style women's suit. "Golf is in place." He said over the comm, stopping himself from saying more to his fiancée, which wouldn't look right as they walked into the auction house at the Horse Park.

"So this is the horse market?" Karen said. "Shame they're selling people."

February 13th  
Cleveland Ohio  
0802 EST

"Hotel here, but we chokin'" Koa said, giving Lagoon Boy's opinions a voice. The waters of Lake Eerie were considerably cleaner than in previous decades, but they weren't the kind of waters they were used to. Fortunately, once the small fleet of powerboats began making their way to Canada, they could do their jobs and get into cleaner, warmer, water.

February 13th  
Fawcett City  
0804 EST

"Uhm, India, I think." Billy Batson said with a yawn. The rest of the League had wanted him and Martian Manhunter to stay in the Watchtower in case of emergency, but he didn't want to miss this, so there he was, bundled up in a heavy coat, just waiting to call the lightning.

February 13th  
Metropolis  
0805 EST

Guardian tapped his comm. "Juliet in position." He said, with a frown at getting that particular phonetic. He understood that Theta and Eta were way too close for their regular radio callsigns, and they never really spread themselves out that far before, but still. Juliet?

"Let it go." Red Robin said, absently fiddling with the piezoelectric controls to the wings in his costume. He was quietly worried that he'd need them, since they were looking LexCorp towers straight in the face.

February 13th  
Gotham City  
0806 EST

"This is horribly inefficient." Robin said with a scowl. Nightwing shook his head at him, which had become common practice.

"Kilo at the ready." Nightwing said, glad to be back in his own costume. They were perched on top of the Gotham International Airport, and their plane had just come in, carrying what, if the intel was correct, was nearly a billion dollars in African blood diamonds.

February 13th  
Brooklyn, New York City  
0808 EST

Tye, Asami, and Eduardo waited their turn patiently. "Lima ready to do our best." Asami said, almost talking over Nightwing in her still very thickly accented English. She wasn't lying though, she was damn well ready to do her very best.

Eduardo looked at Tye. "Ready to knock on the door?"

"You know it." Tye said, relaxing into himself, preparing to rise to the occasion.

February 13th  
London England  
1309 GMT

"Mike is good." Grifter said, checking his ammo status. Sotheby's didn't know they had agreed to accept a shipment of looted artifacts from Iraq, and they weren't going to either. Red Hood handed him a couple of spare mags for his pistols, and went back to scoping the place out.

February 13th  
Paris France  
1410 CET

"I deplore having to visit Paris in these circumstances." Starfire said with a pouty frown. Even that was hot, so far as Arsenal was concerned. She hadn't given him so much as the time of day until, she had. He didn't so much mind.

"We'll come back." He replied. "November in position." He called in.

February 13th  
Moscow Russia  
1611 MSK

"Oscar reporting, and we're freezing our butts off." Cheshire purred over the radio as she slipped her mask down over her face. For a nation which came into its own under a communist regime, there sure were a lot of billionaires. Billionaires who'd do anything to protect their finances at any cost.

Red Arrow gave her a sly smile and nocked a grapple arrow, leveling his aim for the private bank they were about to wreck.

February 13th  
Hong Kong China  
2113 HKT

"Papa in place." Courtney Whitmore, better known as Stargirl said, giving the British schoolteacher with her an odd glance. "Who are you again?"

"Jason Blood." He repeated for the umpteenth time to the impatient young lady while they scoped out the Triad nightclub responsible for taking in more money for organized crime in Asia than any other location south of Osaka. "But perhaps, showing is better than telling."

"What's that supposed to mean." Stargirl asked, shouldering her staff.

"When we get the go order, you'll see miss." Jason said, perfectly polite.

February 13th  
Sydney Australia  
2309 AET

"Please stop looking at me like that." Wondergirl said to the chain smoking Brit who couldn't quit leering. It made her regret going to the red unitard with the cutout over her breasts. It was supposed to distract her enemies, not her allies.

"Sorry love, been a while." John said, flicking his cigarette away. "This oughta work the naughty out of my system though."

"Quebec, not actually in Quebec, please say go." Wondergirl said, casually brushing a funnel web spider off her foot while she waited for the go order for her and her partner, a so-called master of dark arts, to hit a truck convoy full of opals.

February 13th  
Gotham City  
0804 EST

Barbara pushed her glasses up onto her face, absently ignoring the sweat on her brow and the dull ache in her jaws. Alfred kindly sat a cup of warm tea next to her, and stood back, looking at the map, covered in red dots at the series of teams scattered all over the world. In addition to them, a few green dots were scattered about in places like Rome, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Tokyo, Athens, Cologne, and a few more.

"Oracle, go order is yours." Batman said across the comms from his vantage point near the Cristo Redentor.

"Here we go Alfred." Barbara said, happy to do this job in a regular chair instead of a wheelchair, but hating she wasn't out with one of the teams.

"This is Oracle. Green light, green light, go!" She called out, and began organizing satellite feeds and bouncing between the different comm frequencies. She immediately squelched Delta and Golf. Miss Martian and Mustang would be linked with their partners, so the audio visualization would be enough alert to tell her they had to talk to her.

She blew up the Hong Kong image first. Stargirl and Etrigan were both unknowns. Doctor Fate had vouched for both of them, for completely different reasons. Over the radio, she heard Jason Blood's voice call out. "Gone! Gone the form of man! Rise the demon Etrigan!"

"Okay, he's a demon. I thought Doctor Fate was joking." Barbara deadpanned, and switched over to Star City. Already, the private yacht was taking on water, Aqualad's work nothing short of excellent, and all under the cover of unnaturally thick fog. The occasional flash of lightning from across the sound struck near the yacht's mooring, and a smile came to Barbara's lips. She was proud of her girl crush.

"I say, what's that?" Alfred said, pointing to a small window. Barbara blew it up and began using traffic and ATM cameras to extrapolate what was happening in New Orleans. Apparently, Godiva had something to prove, as the more experienced Tigress was pressed to keep up for once. The girl was laying absolute waste to a warehouse full of guns, and the people who liked to use them.

"Another win." Barbara said, staying her hand from checking on Lexington, and instead pulled up Athens. Apparently, Wonder Woman had pulled a blink-and-you'll-miss-it, as she already had a group of Intergang thugs wrapped up in her lasso.

"Delta, status?" She asked, since their radios had stayed dead. A bizarre spike wave formed in their radio visualization. "Jaime Reyes is occupied, but asks me to tell you things are going well."

"Well, thanks for that, Scarab." Barbara said, swiping her hands around to put different satellite images in the forefront.

"Golf, report." She requested. The satellite had passed too far over the area to get live feed, leaving her with pure voice reports.

"Bumblebee is a badass." Mustang said over the radio with surprise and pride in his voice. "Oh, we're good, by the way, thanks."

"And I agreed to marry that one." Barbara said to Alfred with a shake of her head.

"Oracle, give me a feed." Batman said. Barbara pulled the same satellite, atm, and traffic cam trick, and used cell signals as well to paint an extremely accurate rendering around Batman's location.

"Have fun, it's a masterpiece." She replied, though she kept that just off to the side. It got her worried about one of the four teams comprised solely of unpowered people. She checked the cracking algorithm on the proxy which she'd tasked to infiltrate LexCorp tower's security system, but it hadn't gotten halfway through.

"Juliet, give me something." She requested, trying to get surveillance from anywhere. She was glad this was happening on a weekend, but LexCorp didn't exactly give days off to their security teams.

"How about this?" Red Robin said, and Barbara's screen with the cracking algorithm lit up green. He'd managed to get the decryption drive loaded.

"Perfect, accessing information now. Get out of there." She said, scowling at the pain in her mouth, which had been growing slowly. Alfred saw her expression and offered her a couple of Tylenol, which she dry swallowed and got back to work.

"There's tea, Mistress Barbara." Alfred reminded her, and looked over her shoulder at the London feed. If Master Jason and this Grifter fellow didn't end the job quickly, His Majesty's SAS would be forced to show up.

"Thank you Alfred." She replied, took a sip, and checked on some of the other League's feeds. Black Canary and Green Arrow, as always, worked in perfect tandem, leaving Rome just as they found it, minus some seriously bad people. Superman was already back in Metropolis, submitting a report to the Planet about a freak weather accident on Lake Eerie, which had caused several boats to wreck, leading authorities to discover millions of dollars in drugs headed to Canada.

"Batman?" She asked over the comms, seeing no activity in her rendering.

"Cleaning up now." He replied tersely, because he was Batman and always replied tersely, because it would kill him to say good job, or God forbid, a thank you.

"Masters Dick and Damien, back already?" Alfred said, looking at the Batmobile pulling in.

The hatch popped open, and Damien exited the driver's seat. "Assistance would be appreciated Alfred." He said as he tried dragging Dick out of the passenger seat.

"I'll be fine. Just a little shrapnel." Dick muttered, though the bleeding in his side, over his hip, indicated otherwise.

It worried Barbara, but there were still teams out. "We've secured the victims of the human trafficking." Bumblebee said. "We're waiting on FBI and Kentucky State Police to show up and we're done."

Barbara sighed in relief, and checked on Conner. The traffic camera outside of the house he'd hit showed he'd certainly, well, hit it. The place was in shambles. "Superboy, update."

"I've got a lot of records here." He said, and walked out the door, waving at the traffic camera, while he carried a massive safe slung over his shoulder. Wolf followed him out, dragging someone by the leg and shaking him. "And Wolf made a friend."


	11. Chapter 11 (Lemon Tree)

February 13th  
Barstow California  
1015 PST

"I know everyone is tired, so I'll make this fast." Green Arrow said to the heroes and anti-heroes gathered in the old drive-in the Movers used for training. Many of them seemed more than tired. In fact, exhausted was more correct. Several sported injuries though none were significant. "We did good work today. Batman is correlating data now, but his preliminary evaluation indicates the Cult of Apokalips is broken. We can't guarantee they won't rise up again, but it's going to be a very, _very_ long time before they do. All of you have done excellent work."

Deke stood between Barbara and Aasha. His fiancée seemed unhappy that she hadn't put boot to ass, but there was a level of pride radiating off of her that he could feel without any question. Aasha, on the other hand, was all but asleep against him, wrapped up in the long bolero jacket of her new costume.

"So, go home, get some rest. The League will handle anything for the next few days, so get some sleep." Zatanna added. "Except for John Constantine and Jason Blood. I'd like to speak to you both privately."

"Home?" Deke asked, turning to look at his love.

"You know it." Barbara said, the cheek-pieces of her cowl particularly uncomfortable on her swollen jaw. "I think I could sleep till your birthday."

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, you sure about that?" He asked as they walked towards the Zeta stop.

"Okay, after tomorrow then." Barbara said, stepping around to the other side to prop Aasha up until Maddie came to collect her.

"I'll take her to the Hacienda and make sure she gets some sleep." Maddie said, giving Liho a sidelong glance that told him that he wouldn't be getting any rest.

February 13th  
Destin Florida  
1222 CST

"She's asleep." Maddie said, padding into Liho room quietly. "And her door is shut." She added with a raise of her eyebrows. Getting to mix it up tended to get her juices stirring, but putting a nail into the coffin of the people who her brother had gotten caught up in, that was even more satisfying.

"I get a say in this?" Liho asked as he watched her unzip the front of her costume, swaying her hips as she walked across the floor to his bed.

"Do you want a say in this?" Maddie asked once her zipper had cleared her pierced navel, her rather large breasts remaining covered by friction alone.

"Nah, just checkin'." Liho said, and shifted onto his side. He reached out and took her hand, and helped her slide into bed. She tilted her head up and kissed him, waiting no time to go straight to tongue. She had no time for games, she was tired, but she was also horny, and horny was winning by a long margin.

Liho put his massive hands on her breasts, perhaps the only thing that made them seem small by comparison, and kneaded them beneath the skintight material. Maddie squirmed at his touch and kissed him even more aggressively, pushing him down against the mattress. "Since when do we play all sweet?" she asked him, peeling her costume down to her waist, finally exposing her massive, gravity defying breasts.

"Change of pace?" He suggested, leaning up to take one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Why? This is much better." Maddie said, and clutched his head to her chest, using her free hand to pinch her other nipple, bringing it to a stiff peak. Below her, she felt his shaft straining against the material of his board shorts, and the anticipation to receive it got her revving even hotter.

Liho switched focus to her other breast after a moment before pushing her down at the shoulders, putting her back on the mattress. She lifted her ass with a grin, and let him peel her costume the rest of the way off, the jewel in her hood piercing glinting in the light. "Yeah, def better." Liho said, following behind her costume with a finger which trailed up her slit.

"It's certainly getting there." Maddie said, already working into a quiet frenzy. "I've waited too long for this Liho."

"It's been two weeks." He commented, sliding his massive finger inside her, pumping away slowly. For all of her experience, she was remarkably tight, a perk of good genetics.

Maddie moaned loudly as she pinched at her nipples again. "Two weeks too long Liho." She said, and moaned again when he used his thumb to play with the vertical stud in her clit hood. "And we need to do the hot tub thing again."

"You just like that because I don't have to come up for breath." He commented, though he also liked it because he didn't have to come up for breath. His finger, already slick from her arousal, kept slipping into her. He flattened out his palm so she could grind against it, which she did with abandon.

Maddie groaned long and low as orgasm took her, shaking her to the core. "I bet you love how fast I cum." She said through labored breath, slowing herself down so she didn't spend herself before his pants were even off.

"I bet you love it more." Liho said, removing his hand and offering it to her. She took his finger greedily, sucking on it in demonstration of what she planned to do to him. It was more than enough incentive for him to untie his board shorts, and began working them off his hips.

Seeing an opportunity, Maddie released his finger from her mouth, slid out of bed to her knees, and pulled his shorts down, revealing the massive rod he carried with him. Every time, she was amazed by it, and every time, she took it as a personal challenge.

Liho moaned softly through his inhaling breath once her mouth wrapped around it. He glanced down at Maddie, watching her go to town on him. The girl was absolutely skilled at her craft, and despite his size, she handled him without complaint. He put a hand to the back of her head and let it rest while she bobbed on him like a pro. He'd learned long ago not to pull her hair, but this was fair game.

Maddie decided to give him something to think about, took him to the back of her mouth, and then opened her mouth wide, taking him into her throat. She nearly gagged on him, and came back up quickly, but his sharp breath told her what she needed to know, so she did it again, this time holding him long enough to make her eyes water and her makeup run.

Liho wanted to warn her against passing out, but she finally released him, laughing at herself. "That's fun." She said with a wicked grin, flicking the metal jewelry in her sex while she performed for him. He moaned in agreement as she took him into her mouth, bobbing along with loud slurping noises.

Liho found himself seeing stars pretty quickly, and reached down, easily lifting her away from his shaft when it was safe for both of them. Emergency services didn't need to be called for having some after-mission fun. He continued the lifting motion, putting her legs on his shoulders in front of him and holding her by her ass.

Maddie's laugh turned into a moan as he dug his tongue deep into her. "Shit Liho!" she cried out, putting her hands against the ceiling to steady herself while he worked her over. It wasn't long at all before she began rocking against his tongue, mindless of falling, just enjoying the feeling of being pulled along.

Liho just grinned, using her motion to his own advantage, flicking his tongue against her clit. When she went from moaning to groaning, he decided to show her a new trick. Immediately, her groaning turned to sudden shrieks. Maddie's eyes crossed and her legs started shaking uncontrollably. "What the fuck Liho?" she screamed as she came again, this time cutting loose and spraying his face from the force of her climax. "Oh my fucking God!" she shrieked, that powerful sensation unrelenting. It was an extremely powerful, high frequency vibration, and it was playing absolute havoc on her entire reproductive system, triggering every single spot all at once.

Liho had to lay her down as she continued to thrash and shriek in the throes of orgasm. He finally relented, looking up at her with a wide grin as he wiped his mouth off. "Sonar." He said with a broad, shit eating grin.

"You fucker!" Maddie said, blinking hard, trying to will her body into obedience.

"If you want." Liho said, stepping towards her on the bed. Maddie eyed him, a mix of hunger and trepidation as he knelt onto the bed with her, pressing the tip of his massive rod against her opening.

"Yes I want." She said, not letting that trepidation get the better of her. She bit her lip as he slid within her. He was cautious, but cautious and gentle were completely separate things. "Damnit Liho." She hissed as he pushed further into her, her abdomen lifting and moving involuntarily as he went.

Her hand went to it, feeling his massive rod move as it stretched her sex. He began slow, noticing the effect he had on her as well, and enjoying the show. It wasn't long before she'd grown reaccustomed to it, and told him as much. "Fuck me Liho." She all but commanded, needing it like she needed to breathe.

She'd seen and done plenty in her life. She'd gone to bed with men and women, and people who weren't certain where they lay on the scale. She'd slept with people she might have loved, and she slept with people she knew she hated. She'd fucked on camera, she'd fucked for money, she fucked out of boredom and spite, joy and confusion. Her expression was sex, and the world at large might not condone it, but she both made and consumed this art.

At the moment, she wanted a quick sketch, it's all she needed, and she got it as she spurred Liho to take his energy out on her. "Give it to me, fuck me Liho." She cried out in climax. Each one was progressively a little more powerful than the last, if she was ignoring that dirty cheating trick he'd pulled that she would absolutely insist upon later.

Liho drove into her. He couldn't go to his full, as he might be one of the few people strong enough to cause permanent damage, but he slipped and slid within her well enough to make him happy. He wore a blissed out expression on his face, even in the middle of the serious business of sex, he was a happy guy.

Wanting a change though, Maddie put her feet against his chest and paused him on the backstroke. She flipped over onto her stomach and raised her ass into the air, bringing up one leg to adjust the angle. Liho filled her again, this time quickly since she didn't require the adjustment period, and began pounding into her.

Maddie made a fist and punched his mattress as he rode her, not sure what else to do with her body. She wasn't joking about being able to orgasm quickly, she'd had more than enough experience to know just how to treat herself right, with any partner or by herself. "That's it. Fuck me Liho! Fuck my pussy and make me cum!" she screamed out, vaguely aware that the walls were extremely well soundproofed.

"Sure thing." Liho grunted, and kicked himself into overdrive, feeling himself push towards the brink at her filthy speech. Beneath him, Maddie was gripping her breasts tightly with one hand and furiously massaging her button with the other, quivering from her body's reactions.

He was tired though. Despite being almost as much biotech as human, he could and did get tired, and being caught off guard on doing the simultaneous assault, actually performing in that action, and being Zeta lagged to all hell, Liho was having worst time keeping himself in order. He couldn't hold the pace she was calling for, somewhere in between a jackhammer and a machine gun, and brought himself back to a more survivable pace.

Maddie noticed it, and forced herself to remember her occasional lover was not, in fact, a machine, despite evidence to the contrary. "Lay down big man." She said to him, rocking her hips up and leaning forward, disengaging from him. She swapped him places and crawled atop him, guiding him into her. One misstep here would lead her into uncomfortable territory.

Koa relaxed as she mounted him, sliding down his shaft with relative ease. With her in control of the pace, he was able to just breathe, and enjoy the experience. It also served her well, as she was better able to hit the spots she wanted hit.

As she rode him in reverse cowgirl, she absently wondered what exactly Aasha had meant when she told her to get herself a psychic, but she banished that unrequited dream out of her head. She had someone in the moment, and she wouldn't do him a disservice. She might blithely cheat on lovers, but never in the moment itself. She was a whore, not a bitch.

Again, and again, her body contracted in repeated orgasm. She kept at herself at that same furious pace, her fingers working as hard as her legs. Liho pushed himself up, turning it into more of a tipped over doggy style, and kneaded her breasts, discontent with just being a tool.

"You like the way I ride you?" Maddie asked, grabbing his hands to steady herself. "Because I fuckin' love it!" she squealed. Liho did, in fact, like it, the particular angle serving to push him towards conclusion.

"Ho yah." Liho grunted, taking her by the hips and bouncing her, holding her at that wonderful angle. She came again, all over him, leaking down his shaft, and the sight of it was the last straw. He pushed her unceremoniously off of him and stroked himself a few times. Maddie quickly maneuvered herself around and opened her mouth to receive his finish.

"Cum on my tongue baby!" She said, and right there and then, she got exactly what she asked for. Several spurts covered her tongue and filled her mouth, and every time, she cursed herself for forgetting just how salty he was, what with him actually living in salt water about half the time.

Still, she bought her ticket, she'd take the ride, and swallowed it down. She'd dealt with worse. Once the moment had fully passed, she laid across his legs to catch her breath, her body flushed and warm, but most importantly, fulfilled, and relaxed. It was a day of action, and it would become an afternoon of wonderful sleep.

* * *

Aasha frowned as every single thing not bolted down in her room kept rattling. It was the way the Hacienda shook that had woke her up, but the rattling itself had told her what was causing the shaking. She couldn't even cover her head with a pillow; it was the shaking, not any noise that woke her.

"Bloody super strength people having it off over there." She muttered, before incanting the spell which morphed her costume back into regular clothing. She stood up, tired and cranky, grabbed her small overnight back, tossed it over her shoulder, and left the Hacienda for Gotham. Babs was still getting over having her wisdom teeth out, there's no way they were busy.

"Sod this, sod them, sod it all! I need a damn nap." She said, keying in the correct sequence to Gotham into the Zeta system.


	12. Chapter 12

February 13th  
Gotham City  
1411 EST

Barbara only vaguely heard the knocking on their door. At first, she dismissed it and tried going back to sleep against her boy, the both of them not even making it to the bed before piling onto the couch for a nap, but the knocking happened again. It had better be important.

Sighing, she got up, grabbed her robe from the top of the laundry basket and tossed it on, and went to the door. Her instincts kicked in on her when she couldn't see anyone outside the peephole, causing her to shift her weight in preparation for a vicious snap kick when she opened the door.

"Sorry, can't sleep, Koa and Lady G are doing it. Please, please tell me I can sleep here." Aasha said while walking in, completely ignorant of the fact that she almost had her face kicked in.

"Of course." Barbara said, calming down immediately. "We're certainly not doing anything." She said, and took the time to go ahead and swap out her icepack and put fresh tea bags in her mouth to help the swelling.

"You're a Godsend." Aasha said, joining her friend and lover in the kitchen. "Is there something wrong with the bed?" she asked, noticing Deke still passed quite thoroughly out on the sofa.

"Yeah, too far away." Barbara said with a wry smirk. "Just pardon the chipmunk cheeks."

"Quite pardoned." Aasha said, and got herself an idea. Gotham was cold, and she hated being cold. She walked over to her teammate and sat on his stomach, her negligible weight not at all interfering with his breathing.

"Mustang, wake up, it's your birthday." She cooed at him, much to Barbara's amusement. She held a hand over her mouth to keep from cracking up at Aasha's attempt to wake him. "Come on, Babs and I aren't wearing any clothes already."

"I can feel the tag on your jeans." Deke muttered, ticking the small woman on the ribs. She squeaked and giggled, which was considerably better than being hateful and grouchy. He finally opened up his eyes and looked at her. Despite her giggles, she looked pretty rough.

"You not get any sleep?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Liho and Maddie." Barbara said in a muffled tone. She punctuated the statement by making a circle with her thumb and index finger on her left hand, and extending her index finger on her right hand, and adding the appropriate motion.

Deke snickered at her and glanced towards the bedroom. He was by no means done napping. "Okay, c'mon, there's plenty of room in there." He said with a gesture. Aasha slipped off his stomach and followed Barbara, ditching all but her knickers and undershirt on the way, grateful she'd worn some underwear with substance. The devious super-secret plan Babs had made couldn't be spoiled early, so temptation was key to avoid.

That being said, she was going to absolutely lie between the two of them. Barbara snuggles were warm and caring, and Deacon snuggles were reassuring and affectionate. There was no way she was going to rob herself of that opportunity, she was no fool. Plus, warm, and that could absolutely not be discounted.

It didn't take Deke's psychic gifts to figure the woman out. Barbara wrapped her arms around Aasha, being her big spoon, the moment they were all curled up in bed. If this was like any other night, she'd shift between the two, depending on how warm she wanted to be, but Barbara wanted first dibs.

Deke flicked a hand towards the windows, the thick, heavy curtains coming together to blot out the worst of the sun. He enjoyed watching his girl spoil Aasha, and while, when the mood struck, the two of them could turn into absolute succubae, in these moments, they were simply adorable.

* * *

Barbara, one of those lucky few who could get by on less sleep, was awake first, and feeling like a million bucks. She batted her eyes open and laughed quietly at the sight before her. Aasha had curled up against her, and had tried tangling her feet in with Deke's, though their height difference had left her pushing her feet into his abdomen, leaving him hanging halfway off the bed.

"Such a housecat." Barbara said, brushing Aasha's hair from her face and kissing her softly on the top of her head. She extricated herself from the little Indian woman and slipped out of bed, heading to the bathroom.

While in there, she went ahead and washed her body up, her mind cooking up what she wanted for dinner. She and Deke had been pushing their budget lately, so grabbing something out wasn't really in the cards, so it had to be cooked there at their apartment. She didn't want to make her boy cook, but he really was better suited to the task, especially since she'd gotten him into the habit of cooking healthier food.

Aasha would be hungry too, but she ate like a bird, so feeding her wasn't going to be a problem. The task would require some more thought, Barbara decided as she toweled herself off. Since both people in the apartment had seen her naked plenty of times, she didn't bother getting dressed, and instead just strolled back into the bedroom naked.

"Come to mama." Barbara heard in a small, sleepy, English accented voice. Turning around quickly, she saw Aasha rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "But, maybe take your time."

"Sleep well?" Barbara asked, pulling on the least flattering underwear she owned. They weren't attractive, but what they lacked in sexy, they made up for in comfort.

"I did, finally." Aasha said, rolling over and planting a small kiss on Deke's cheek. Barbara had to resist swatting the girl's bottom playfully when she did, as her panties had ridden up and showed off her posterior. "I sleep better with you two."

Barbara blushed at the sincere admission. "We're comfy people." She said nonchalantly and handed Aasha her overnight bag. "You staying here the whole night?"

"If I may?" Aasha said, watching Barbara pull on one of the tee shirts she'd liberated from Deke's oppressive ownership. "I'm not in such a foul mood anymore but Maddie and Liho never stop at once." She added, pulling her knickers out of her bum and digging through her bag for an appropriate outfit.

"That's reassuring." Barbara said, showing Aasha the tip of her tongue. "And you certainly can. Are you hungry?"

Aasha nodded, swapping her undershirt for a sweater, and pulling some jeans on. "I could eat, what did you have in mind?"

Barbara shrugged. "Ash, I'll be honest, the worst fights Deke and I have are over what to eat. I was hoping you'd have an idea."

The two girls strolled into the living room and sat down. Barbara turned the television onto the music channels and searched through until she got to a symphonic metal station, one of Aasha's favorites, though she turned the volume down low enough they could still talk.

"Well, I heard Tandoori Joes is the place you two fell in love over." Aasha said with a wry look. "But I'm not going to stereotype myself either."

"If I know that one," Barbara said, gesturing towards the bedroom. "He's going to want a huge meal. He always does after doing the job. We don't have the money to eat out though."

"Oh sod that. I'll cover it." Aasha replied quickly.

"You sure about that?" Barbara asked, wanting to be certain, and not wanting to impose.

"I am." Aasha said with finality. "Cooking will take far too long, and you've let me stay, it's the least I could do. Especially since I'll be interrupting your Valentine's Day morning."

"It's only interrupting if we don't like you." Barbara argued. "Besides, you know I'm not the biggest fan of Valentine's Day, we only go do something because when we don't, people bug us about fighting or whatever."

"Why is that?" Aasha asked. There was plenty she wanted to know about her friends (Lovers? Bugger all if she didn't know what to call them) but she felt like she was being a pest for asking all at once.

Barbara couldn't help but smile at Aasha's sincere expression. "It's a day where we're supposed to spend money that we could use for groceries or bills, to tell each other how much we care. We do that every day, which I always figured was the point of even having a relationship."

"I can't exactly argue that." Aasha said, gaining a new perspective. "So, you two really just do the whole thing to keep people off of you?"

"Exactly. We'll probably grab dinner somewhere, he'll get me a gas station flower I can take a couple of selfies with, and then we do the only thing that people are expected to do on Valentine's Day, which we don't document on social media for obvious reasons." Barbara said with a wink.

"She's talking about doin' it." Deke mumbled, walking out of the bedroom. He swung by both girls, placing a smooch on the top of Aasha's head, and a longer one on Barbara's lips. "Evenin' ladies." He said in passing, on his way to the bathroom, not quite awake yet.

February 13th  
Themyscira  
2100 Amazonian Reckoning

Hippolyta wore the burden of her leadership with the kind of respect and dignity that people would kill to show. Sometimes, however, that burden grew heavier than she would like. It kept her up at night, something she would flatly deny to her sisters, but on this night, at least, her daughter was with her, someone she could confide in, and trust.

"Thank you for calling me, Mother." Diana said, dressed comfortably in the traditional garb of her people. It felt good to return to what she knew best, the breeze against her legs warm despite the seasons in Man's world. "But this wasn't a social call, was it?"

"Not entirely, no." Hippolyta said, pausing on the beach and turning to look out over the ocean. "Though, I relish any chance to spend time with my daughter."

"And I, you, Mother." Diana said, joining her mother when she sat on the sand. "What troubles you?"

"Your reports of the Cult of Apokalips worry me." Hippolyta admitted with a long sigh. "They're concurrent with the behavior of a cabal of Lemurian sorcerers who operated long before Poseidon claimed Atlantis."

"They've been crippled Mother." Diana argued gently. "The Justice League and our allies saw to that in a glorious stroke of strategy."

"They were thought crippled before, my daughter." Hippolyta said with a frown, the expression unbefitting her regal face. "I am now faced with an unpopular decision."

Diana scooted around in the sand to better see her mother. "What decision worries you so?"

"Our scholars must learn all we can. It will mean inviting those who took part in your synchronized assault to Themyscira, to interview them." Hippolyta replied tiredly.

"I will inform the women and see to their safe arrival." Diana said, not sure what was so problematic about that. Even those not belonging to the League proper had comported themselves with skill and honor, and had earned the opportunity to see the Amazon homeland and share their stories.

"No, my daughter. You must inform them all." Hippolyta replied. While some of her sisters had no ill will towards those outside, many more did, and announcing such an invitation would not sit well.

"Hence an unpopular choice. Dispensation has been made in the past, however." Diana said, referring to the day Superman and Batman were granted permission to set foot on the Amazon homeland.

"Dispensation was made, yes, but it was for two men, and their visit was very short." Hippolyta countered. "How many would set foot upon our shores for this? I can imagine many more than two."

Diana nodded quietly at that, her mind searching for the correct solution for everyone. "Why must we meet here? Themyscira has delegates to the United Nations, we are known to the world, and our sisters frequently visit. Our appearance wouldn't be out of place."

"I will speak tomorrow morning on this." Hippolyta said to her daughter as another perfect breeze tickled her face wonderfully. "I would prefer for our sisters to become more welcoming, but if the resistance I meet is too great, would you help me in determining a compromising location?"

"It would be my pleasure." Diana replied. "There are many places available to us, secure and hidden if necessary."

"But none more secure and hidden than here." Hippolyta sighed. "But, business is finished. Tell me, what new excitement have you discovered?"

Diana smiled at her mother. "Professional wrestling; it's theater and athletics combined, under the guise of interpersonal combat, and delightfully overplayed."

February 14th  
Gotham City  
1900 EST

A light snow fell on the dark city. Gentle and pure in the sky, the snow became black slush on the roads, the perfect metaphor for the city herself. Barbara and her boy were walking down the street, both trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues.

"Okay, this is what Valentine's Day should be about." Barbara said, giggling at her boy walking around with his tongue sticking out.

"Deal." He said, around his tongue, finally catching one after three blocks. He leaned into his girl and squatted down a little when she whipped her phone out, snapping a couple of pictures for Instagram.

After tagging appropriately, she tucked her phone back into her pocket, and pulled him to the side of the building they were next to, planting a pleasantly unexpected kiss on him. "I love you." She said with a bright smile.

"I love you too." Deke replied, wrapping her up in his arms. She giggled when he nuzzled her neck, and would have just stayed there but for her phone chiming.

"That was fast." Deke commented.

"This is something else." Barbara said, recognizing the tone, and fished her phone out of her pocket. When Deke saw her give a puzzled look at the message, he gave her a questioning glance. "So, it looks like we've got something to do tomorrow."

"Yeah? What's that?" Deke asked, keeping her close so she could stay warm in the chilly Gotham winter.

"We're going to Themyscira." She replied.

"We? I thought men weren't allowed." Deke said. He'd studied Themysciran culture in the basic world civ class he had to take, but since their revelation to the world at large had only come a year or so before the Reach invasion, the information was mostly limited to 'No Boys Allowed' and it being Wonder Woman's homeland.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Barbara said, pulling him into an alley. "You know I hate asking, but could you get us back to the apartment? This is not something minor."

"You can always ask, you know that." Deke said, picking her up manually. She'd effectively conditioned herself into nuzzling into him when he picked her up, and he didn't like wasting opportunities.

Once the lone car on the Gotham side street passed, he launched them gently into the air and made a beeline for their apartment.


	13. Chapter 13

February 15th  
The Watchtower  
1300 Zulu

The Watchtower. For some, a pinnacle goal to be achieved by visiting it. For others, a terrifying experience of sitting in a room overlooking the Earth, with only the cold void of space surrounding them. Several heroes sat in the Zeta platform room in folding chairs, several of whom had never been in the place before. Aquaman and Hal Jordan were standing off in the corner, chatting quietly, occasionally glancing over at the impromptu gathering they'd thrown together.

"This is most of us." Cassie said to Tim. "Those two guys Zatanna found aren't here, and she isn't either."

"John Constantine is a horrid man, it's best he isn't here." Aasha said sourly, after overhearing them. She'd made plans in life to never ever go into space, and here she was, in sodding space, and her mood showed.

"You okay sistah?" Liho asked from behind, leaning over her shoulder.

"I don't want to be here." She replied tartly, but she turned to face him and placed a sweet kiss on his check. "But thank you for asking Liho."

"Always sistah." He replied, and turned his face to her, pressing his forehead and nose to hers lightly, taking a breath with her, a cultural custom that he was happy they would participate in with him.

When Red Arrow showed up, he keyed in a pass for Cheshire, which left several of the more experienced heroes giving her suspicious looks. She'd lately followed in her sister's footsteps, but old distrust ran deep. They were the last to show, and once they took their seats, Wonder Woman walked up to face them.

"I'll spare a grand speech. We are scholars and warriors, and neither have time to waste. Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira has convinced my people to allow all of you to visit our land, to better share information you've all gathered, in the spirit of cooperation."

She took a breath and looked out over the crowd. "Before today, only Batman, and Superman have been given permission to set foot on Themyscira. Amazonian rules are simple, however, and easy to follow. Show respect to the Amazons and our home, and it will be returned to you. I should caution however, for some of my people, the males among you will be viewed as repulsive. For others, an object. Most, however, will show distant curiosity, so prepare yourselves to be asked questions, of most any nature. Amazons are not known for their tact. Are there any questions?"

There was a low murmur amongst the gathered heroes. Finally, Aqualad raised his hand politely. When Wonder Woman nodded towards him, he stood and spoke up. "There are Atlanteans among us. Will the ancient treaties be recognized?"

"They will, Kaldur'ahm. The lagoon is being prepared as we speak, and our sorceresses are studying the proper incantations. Will there be any other questions?"

Cassie waved at that, and stood up to face the heroes. "Wonder Woman is forgetting to mention something. Amazons love to fight. Don't take a fair challenge personally, or lightly. We know what we're getting into, or we learn it the hard way."

"There is that, too." Wonder Woman replied. "But Queen Hippolyta has asked that the Amazons refrain from challenges. This was not a decree, but a request however. Wonder Girl, you have some things to handle with our allies, as do I. Let's get that finished and I'll prepare our transportation. Themyscira has no Zeta access."

Cassie nodded and glanced around the room. "Red Arrow and Cheshire, Superboy and Miss M, Mustang and Batgirl, Red Robin, Mal and Karen, and Starfire and Arsenal, could you meet me privately please?" she called out, and stepped off to the side of the large room.

The people she called out strolled over to her, even as Wonder Woman called out to Fractal alone. The Movers were perfectly certain they knew what _that_ conversation was going to be about.

Barbara noticed quite quickly that Cassie had called up the heroes who were involved with one another. Roy and Cheshire were married, Conner and M'gann might as well be, she and Deke were engaged, and Cassie and Tim were currently enjoying an on-again between themselves. She had questions, but Cheshire beat her to it.

"So, we have to behave ourselves so dirty man seed never touches the island, am I right?" she purred, a sardonic look on her face easy to imagine. "it's a shame, I hear it's beautiful, the kind of beautiful that can put someone in the mood."

Cassie made a face at the masked woman. She might have appreciated the lack of sugar coating, but she wasn't so big a fan of the crass attitude. "No, actually. Amazons may have extremely limited experience with men, but they, er, we, do understand love and how it's expressed. What I was going to say is, you'll be permitted to share quartering, and, well, this next part's not something I really wanted to discuss, like ever, but here goes. If you conceive on Themyscira, Amazonian law dictates that if you have a daughter, she will enjoy all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of Themysciran citizenship."

"Pill, and next off week isn't until March." Barbara said simply. She'd noticed Cassie didn't say anything about what would happen if the child were born male, but didn't mention it. Karen also echoed the pill sentiment, and seemed a little shyer than expected about it.

"Alien biology." M'gann replied with a blush. Conner likewise seemed embarrassed.

"IUD." Cheshire said, sounding entirely too hopeful.

"This will not be an issue for us." Starfire said, and the look on her face said she had no more to say on the matter. She took Arsenal away, as neither he nor Red Arrow had any desire to be around each other more than necessary, and the two of them strolled into the annex area next to the Zeta platform.

The rest of them sort of milled about for a moment before separating, leaving Cassie and Tim to talk. Barbara felt particularly mixed at the situation. When Cassie and Tim had first started seeing each other, they were young teenagers, stealing kisses and sneaking off to just be themselves. Now though, they were adults, and apparently involved enough that her lecture required him to be nearby.

"You okay?" Deke asked her as they leaned against a wall away from everyone.

"Feeling territorial again." Barbara said. Her boy tipped his hat down, and looked like he was missing a piece of straw to chew on. "Still working through that."

"Okay then." Deke said patiently, stroking the back of her hand with his fingertips. Though she could only barely feel the contact, it was enough.

"So, we get our own room to ourselves though, that's something to be excited about." Barbara said, changing the subject. "I wonder if it's going to look like."

"The guest wing of the palace is actually all really awesome. Kinda looks like Monaco, but more grand with old world architecture." Deke said absently.

"Now how in the world do you know that, Cowboy?" Barbara said, giving him a glance. He was still leaning against the wall with his hat tipped down, clearly in love with the affectations of his image.

"Wondergirl was thinking about it when she was talking to us. Girl don't know how to keep her thoughts in check." Deke said quietly. He didn't want to criticize her publicly, that was just plain rude.

Barbara cast a quick glance around and squeezed her boy's hand. She avoided being affectionate when in costume, but on occasion she liked to surprise him. It worked too, he turned to look at her, tipping his hat up like some sheriff in a western and smiling at her.

"Fractal doesn't look too happy." She commented, watching him walk away from Wonder Woman with a glum expression. "That couldn't have been a fun conversation."

Deke sighed and took a long look at his teammate. "Yeah, he's pretty upset. Ain't like his family's already on his case twenty four seven. I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Yeah, do that." Barbara said. "I'm going to go catch up with M'gann."

"Love you." Deke said quietly, brushing her hand again. He smiled at her reply, and walked over to his teammate, who was sitting alone and looking at the floor.

"Hey brother." Deke said, taking the seat next to Kristof. "What'd she say?"

Kristof sighed. "I have to be extremely careful apparently. If it became known that I was born female, and chose to live as a male, I'd be considered something along the lines of blasphemous."

"Okay, keep your shirt on bro, you already do." Deke said, wondering why that was so hard to figure out.

"I plan on it, however, their queen will likely insist on a banquet to greet us, and we will be expected to wear traditional clothing, which would risk a level of exposure I'm not interested in." Kristof said.

"Sideboob?" Deke asked, doffing his hat and scratching his head in thought. Greek tunics were often cut well below the armpit for ventilation, and it wouldn't be difficult to see through it.

Kristof snickered involuntarily. "Yeah, that. Or the usual bandages, which would incite curiosity and scrutiny if they're noticed."

"What'd Wonder Woman say about it? She don't complain about anything without having a possible solution first." Deke asked, hoping she remained consistent.

"To live my life the way I want, and let her handle any repercussions with her people." Kristof said, leaning back into his chair. "But that's not what I want either. I don't want to be a problem at all."

"Bro, you ain't a problem and you know it." Deke said with a frown. "Besides, if they think you ain't good enough, hell with 'em." His accent was thickening considerably in his displeasure for his friend.

"Danke, but this is still an important step for the women of Themyscira, and I don't want to be a liability. I asked to be excused, but it seems that isn't in the cards for me." Kristof said, running his hands over his scalp, temporarily forgetting his hair was beneath his costume.

"Well, there's plenty of smart people here. We can work something out. Maybe have Daeva cast an illusion or something? She's getting better with them." Deke suggested, reaching for a solution for his friend. "Or, you might get lucky and there's something there a bit more modest."

"One can hope." Kristof said.

"Our transportation will be arriving tomorrow evening, meeting us on an empty stretch of beach on Long Island, the coordinates of which will be coming to you in the next hour." Wonder Woman called out from the Zeta platform. "Crafted by Hephaestus, the boats coming for us will allow us to reach our destination in no time. Please bring your uniforms, but come in plain clothing. I understand some of you value your privacy more than others, so you can and should exercise some creativity. If none of you have anything else, we can adjourn this meeting."

"May I stay with you two again tonight?" Aasha asked, slipping up beside Barbara, who had just wished M'gann and Zatanna a farewell.

"You can," Barbara said invitingly. Occasional sex aside, the girl was a wonderful guest and excellent company. "Everything okay?"

"Yes and no. Everything is okay with me, but Aquaman took Koa off to the side a moment before Wonder Woman began speaking, and when they were done talking, well, I've never seen Koa look upset or unhappy before. I overheard Godiva offer to keep him company and he accepted, so I don't think I want to be in the Hacienda tonight." Aasha said, casting a glance over to her teammate.

Deke must have caught either her concern, or his mood, as he and Fractal got up and walked over that way. Barbara watched as the two of them approached Liho, and engaged in conversation. If it was her business, he'd tell her later.

* * *

An hour or so later, the three of them were back in Gotham, slipping in from the roof access. Bruce, since he owned the place, had done some remodeling for the tenants to upgrade the façade and bring it into a more modern look. This had also served to give him an excuse to add a small, hidden room built off the roof access, so they could change out of their costumes into street clothes before wandering through their apartment building.

With Aasha joining them, it made the fit a bit tight even with her being a bit small, but they made it work, owing in large part to Barbara's incredible flexibility. They stifled laughs at having to maneuver around one another, and both Barbara and Deke kept their jealousy at Aasha's ability to change clothes with a few words to themselves.

Once back in the apartment, Deke plopped down in the left hand chair, giving the girls the sofa. "So, now that we've got time to talk." He led off, once the girls were comfortable. "Things are going to get interesting."

"Is Liho okay?" Barbara asked. She absolutely adored the big lovable giant of a man, who'd welcomed her like he'd known her his whole life. It was hard not to like someone like that. "He seemed really upset."

"He's, well," Deke said, hemming and hawing around the point. "Apparently, part of his charge of service is to take an Atlantean bride."

"He said he wasn't allowed to have attachment." Barbara said. Aasha was so floored she couldn't speak, just blinking away the surprise.

"Yeah, that's what we all thought, but apparently, he's better at his job than any of us thought. Mera wanted him married into one of the noble houses of Atlantis. Apparently, she made it a request, but he can't refuse a lawful request from her." Deke said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"That's bollocks." Aasha said with a frown. "And I come from a culture where arranged marriages are still very common."

"Can he make a formal protest?" Barbara asked. Aquaman and Mera might be sovereign rulers of a nation, but they weren't despots.

"He did already. Aquaman said Mera had expected it, but she's bringing his bride-to-be to Themyscira with the retinue, and she wants him to meet her and at least see if something sparks. I doubt she's going to really force the issue, but he's so worried he's going to accidentally break the girl's heart that he's willing to just go ahead to be kind." Deke said.

"That boy is such a love." Barbara said sweetly. "But nobody should have to go through that. He's breaking his own heart to spare someone else's."

"That's Liho." Aasha said. "He invited me to Oahu last August for a weekend, I thought he was either going to smother me, or exhaust me to death trying to show me everything. He's too loving for his own good sometimes."

"Well, it kinda looks like one of two things is gonna happen." Deke drawled. "Either they meet and maybe sparks do fly, or they don't, and he's going to fret about being cast out or something."

"We can hope for the former." Aasha said. "I'd love to see him happy."

"Yeah, except Maddie won't be." Deke said in an almost ominous tone.

That left Barbara a little surprised. "Maddie? I thought she was just using him for sex."

"Yeah, and you're just using me for my money." Deke replied to her. "She probably doesn't even realize it her own self, but as much as she goes on about being a happy whore, truth is, she ain't even looked at another man in the past year."

"That can't be right." Aasha argued, but she clammed up the moment the realization hit her. Maddie kept talking her game, but Aasha couldn't think of a single time Maddie had gone home with another boy, or girl, or both, or several, in quite a while. The look on her face must have been telling, since Deke just smiled at her and nodded in a knowing way.

"Bloody hell." she muttered.

"This is going to get messy, one way or the other." Barbara said, noticing somebody's stomach rumbling. Okay, it was her stomach. Okay, it wasn't rumbling, it was outright protesting.


	14. Chapter 14

February 16th  
Long Island New York  
1900 EST

A rather huge mob of heroes were gathered on the shores of Long Island, clustered into large groups to stave off the bitter chill of the February air. Nobody lit a fire on the empty stretch of beach known as Bellport, not wanting to draw attention to them, which left several of them unhappily waiting.

Jade shivered next to Red Arrow, who looked miserable too, despite both of them being wrapped up in blankets, much like many others. "I can think of a lot warmer places they could be late picking us up from." She said with a frown.

"They're not that late." M'gann said, she and Conner looking completely unfazed by the temperature. "But, it _is_ rather cold." She added sympathetically.

"Late enough that my cojones crawled into my throat." Jaime said grumpily. He was about to wrap up in the scarab until the boats arrived, but he didn't want to upset anybody.

"I don't so much mind it, to be honest." Bart said. "Back where I'm from, the sun was all but blotted out, this is summer weather to me."

"Not to me brah." Liho said. He was wearing a shirt, an actual long sleeved shirt, and full legged jeans. The outfit left him feeling paradoxically naked, it was so foreign. "But word is, Thema, Themy, uhm, Thuuh, you know, where Amazons live, it always warm there."

"Themyscira." Cassie corrected politely. "And yes, it's always warm there. Auxo, Goddess of summer, sees to it for us."

"I think our ride's here." Conner said, pointing out over the water. An unnatural fog was rolling in towards them.

"Yeah, that's not me." Aasha said. "But it _is_ magical."

"That's definitely our ride." Cassie said, and produced a road flare from her coat. She struck the top to light it, and lifted herself a dozen feet into the air to signal the boatwomen. Before long, several of what appeared to be ancient Greek style galleys pulled onto shore, their sails decorated with the symbols of various deities.

Quickly and efficiently, several women leapt from the boats, all garbed in the traditional clothing of Themyscira, which was little more than short toga style dresses. None of them seemed much to mind the weather. A few were armed, but seemed peaceful enough, though more than a handful had disdainful looks on their faces.

One in particular spoke up, gesturing with the butt of her spear. "Males on these two, females may ride in the rest."

"Okay then." Dick said, and began organizing people, keeping a mindful eye on Damien, who had little to no patience or tolerance for anything that inconvenienced him, for which this certainly qualified. He wound up leaving him with Jason however, to try and balance things out to the best of his ability, and hoped and prayed they wouldn't kill each other.

Cassie did the same, keeping an eye on her countrywomen when the couples who cared to show affection at parting, did so. As she expected, several made very disgusted faces, though, one or two didn't, which gave her hope. Before he boarded, she held her hand up towards Tim, folding her middle and ring fingers in, using sign language for 'I love you'. He adjusted his sunglasses, using the motion to conceal the gesture.

[I love you.] Deke thought towards Barbara. [See you when we get there.]

[I love you too Cowboy.] Barbara replied, pulling the hood of her hoodie down over her face a little better. She'd decided to keep her engagement ring on, and fiddled with it a bit as she boarded one of the boats. [Sorry we're getting split up.]

Deke walked up the gangplank and smiled at her. [Makes it better when we see each other again.]

* * *

Once on board, the girls settled in, the accommodations rather comfortable. The rowers were below decks, which gave them plenty of room to spread themselves out on the comfortable cushions which were arrayed over the covered top deck. "I kind of feel like a bitch." Artemis said, setting her stuff next to her as she lounged. Some quick mental math told her the boys were going to be squished in like sardines on the two vessels they were directed towards.

"I don't." Her sister said, stretching out like a housecat. "I enjoy the royal treatment."

"You would." Artemis countered.

"This isn't the royal treatment." Starfire said simply. "But it is comfortable."

* * *

"Okay, whoever's elbow that is, get it out of my back." Dick said, squirming around trying to get comfortable. One small grace, they were jammed in so tight, the cold was no longer a problem.

"That's not my elbow." Conner said, about to just toss people so he could get himself situated and folded up. "And sorry."

"At least it's a knee you've got to worry about." Bart said. "I'm not sure what's under me, but I'm scared, not gonna lie."

"Sorry brah, I take up a lot of space." Liho said. He, Mal, and Deke were the biggest guys among the group, and both he and Mal were on the same boat, struggling to get comfortable and leave room for everyone else.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going to get this out of the way." Virgil said, scowling. "But I kinda feel like I'm on the Amistad here."

"I never saw that, was it any good?" Beast Boy said, before turning himself into a hamster and climbing into Tye's coat pocket.

Virgil just shook his head. "It was based on real events man, which weren't good. The movie was solid though."

"I will stab the next person who elbows me, and I do not make idle threats." Damien said, like the little grouch he was, though, nobody could really blame him. There was no elbow room, whatsoever. It didn't help that there were two boats for eighteen men, and another four boats for twelve girls.

"Go ahead and try to stab me, runt." Jason said, glaring at his successor. "You'll end up with more stitches than bad ideas."

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced, Red Hood." Damien sneered. "It can be arranged."

"So can your funeral you little punk, do _not_ test me." Jason fired back, leveling his eyes at the son of the woman who'd brought him back from the dead. That was not the way he wanted to pay that debt.

* * *

"I can't feel Conner anymore." M'gann said, frowning. She'd been in constant contact with him since they'd boarded, but once the boats were underway, that link had severed, leaving her feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Mustang's out of touch too." Barbara said, playing her discomfort closer to the vest. Discomfort might have been the wrong word; with the disgusted looks on the faces of the crews, it was more distrust. She tried not to be like Bruce, or Dick, she tried to see better in people, but she was also more than prepared to unleash hell if the other two boats didn't arrive, or arrived empty. People she called friends, family, and lover were among them.

"Speaking of, he's not bad to have in a fight." Karen said, stretched out lazily. The women had brought them pitchers of wine and some bread, cheese, and olives to snack on, and she was certainly enjoying them.

"Thank you." Barbara said with a kind smile. "I lost satellite coverage, but he told me you actually flew inside a big machine gun to jam it up."

"Yeah, that sucked, not gonna lie. My head's still hurting from it." Karen replied. "So, speaking of, you two set a date, or picked colors yet?"

Barbara shook her head. "No, we've got two years to figure that out, we're waiting till we're out of school. You're definitely on the guest list though."

"So, you don't have anything but a list done, do you?" Karen asked with a knowing look.

"No, not so much." Barbara admitted almost shamefully. For the woman who was known to be more prepared than anyone outside of Batman, she was not where she wanted to be on this. "We've got time though, that's what I keep telling myself."

* * *

"Dude, I will straight kick your ass from here to Buenos Aries." Eduardo snapped, aiming his venom at Mal, who was doing the best he could to keep from crushing anyone. "Stick your knee in my leg one more time and see if I don't."

"Cool it, everyone." Dick said. "Let's not give them a reason to let us off early."

He'd been playing peacemaker, and was happy he had Conner's support in the issue. The cold wet weather, cramped quarters, and lack of anything to eat or drink was beginning to wear on them. At least the crew seemed to be ignoring them, going about their work quietly and efficiently.

"Lo siento." Eduardo said, and tried scrunching himself up smaller, which unfortunately left him all but cuddling on Arsenal's lap. The look on the man's face spoke volumes of how uncomfortable that situation was.

"Yeah, it's cool." Arsenal deadpanned. "I hate to say it, but that might be the right idea, it's only getting colder." He said, checking the readout on his cyberarm.

"The temperature's going to hold steady enough that we won't freeze, provided we don't get rained on any time soon." Tim replied, and of course, that's when it had to start raining.

"Damnit." He muttered.

* * *

"Jesus H man, who did that?" Tye complained, waving his hand in front of his face. "Whoever it was needs to get checked out, that's vicious."

"Sorry, had Indian food before we left for Long Islaaaahhh oh damn, sorry y'all." Deke said with a wide grimace. "Seriously, that's evil, I'm sorry."

"I thought you could control your body." Roy said, the clone, not the original, though nobody pointed that fact out. At least Arsenal had grown his hair out long, while Red Arrow kept his brush cut. It made an arm check unnecessary.

"Yeah, but it was kinda hurtin' dude." Deke said. "I'd been holding it for a while."

"We can tell." Cole said with a scowl. It was the first thing he'd said the whole trip. "You still with the redhead, by the way?"

"Yeah," Deke said, remembering Grifter had seen her buck naked when he'd broken into the Hacienda, and hoping for the merc's sake that he didn't mention it.

"Cool." Cole said in a relaxed voice. "Still sorry about breaking in on you two that time."

"Wait, you for real dating Miss Martian?" Tye asked, surprised.

"Naw man, the other redhead. Batgirl." Deke corrected. "And we're not dating, we're engaged."

"So, what's that like, anyway?" Tye asked. Batgirl always seemed so closed off to the world. Imagining she cared about anything besides the job was hard to do. "She seems so cold."

"She's a professional man. Honestly, that's kinda what got me interested in her in the first place. I'm not dumb enough to spill private details, but she's not some closed off ice queen, she's just really really focused." Deke explained, shutting off connection to the pain receptors in his knees for a while.

"Wow, the things you don't know." Tye said. "So, nothing about how she's like outside the mask?"

Deke pondered a minute, trying to think of what he could talk about without giving anything private away. "She's crazy smart dude, like, seriously she might be the smartest person I know, and that guy over there trying to nap in the corner got his engineering degree when he was twenty."

"Thanks for that." Kristof said with a wave.

"No problem brother. She's also pretty well adjusted, especially considering Bat family."

"Fuck you redneck." Jason said, though his heart wasn't in it, more, he felt obligated to say something at all, despite the fact that yeah, Babs really was the best adjusted out of all of them. That Damien didn't argue either spoke volumes to that.

* * *

Aasha curled up on the large pillows, actively avoiding the wine brought out to them. She had no tolerance to alcohol and didn't want to be blind drunk before really getting underway. "I don't believe we've properly met." She said to Courtney, who was riffling through her large bag for something. "I'm Daeva."

"Stargirl." Courtney replied, setting her things down. "You're one of the Movers, right? Well, both of you?"

"Yeah, that's us, we're the pretty ones." Maddie said, helping herself to the wine. She had the tolerance of an elephant, and used it to her advantage. "I'm Godiva, or Lady G if you're feeling formal. I'm nobody important though, so you can call me Maddie if you want."

"Spoiled for choice I suppose." Courtney said. "I'm not so good with names so I might interchange them."

"Go for it cutie." Maddie said with a smile. Aasha sighed near her, though she thought to herself that she shouldn't be surprised.

Seemingly either unfazed by it, or choosing to ignore it, Courtney finally pulled out her MP3 player and a book, but she set them off to the side, near her staff. "I'm kind of chatty, is that going to be a problem?"

"Not for me, no." Aasha said sweetly. "Her, maybe, but they've given us wine and bread, give her time and she'll take a nap." She added, gesturing towards Maddie.

"Oh good." Courtney said pleasantly. "So, I'm really new, obviously. My mentor, the old Star Spangled Kid, he, well, he had to pass the staff recently. Can you tell me anything about the other heroes?"

"Oh, we're gossiping? Let me know when we get to sex." Maddie said and put her own headphones in.

"She's one-track, that's just how she is. What more exactly did you want to know?" Aasha said, scooting herself around to look at Courtney better.

"Well, I mean, I guess who's around my age is a good place to start. I'm seventeen and I get the feeling I'm pretty young compared to everyone." Courtney said, reaching for the plate of food and grabbing some olives and cheese.

"Uhm, Beast Boy and the Runaways are around your age I think." Aasha said, trying to work it through in her head. "I believe Wondergirl is as well. Everyone else is a bit older."

"The Runaways? Are there that many teams orbiting the Justice League?" Courtney asked. She knew other people were taking part in the simultaneous raid the other night, but she hadn't met hardly any of them until they'd all shown up on Long Island.

"There's The Movers, that's me and Godiva, plus Koa, Fractal, and Mustang. Then there's the Runaways, which are Longshadow, Asami, and Eduardo, and finally, well, the team, they never named themselves. That's everyone else for the most part." Aasha said. "I don't know many of them personally, but I do know Wondergirl is a lovely young lady, I'm quite good friends with Batgirl too."

Maddie snorted, which Aasha ignored. "Are you looking to make friends, or is this more personal inquiry?" she asked sweetly.

"Well," Courtney started, and took a pause. "Friends first, but I'm not closed off." She said after a moment.


	15. Chapter 15

February 16th  
Themyscira  
0900 Amazonian Reckoning

"X'ahl." Starfire said in awe when she exited the top deck cabin of her boat, and looked over the island nation of Themyscira. The temperature was perfect, the breeze was magnificent, and the setting was positively beautiful. She set herself aloft a moment before touching down on the sand, already kicking her shoes off.

The rest of the assembled heroes, at least, the females, were exiting the rest of the boats, to be greeted by Themysciran emissaries. These women, much more friendly looking than the crews of the boats, were walking towards the shore, led by a very regal and powerful looking woman, who was flanked to the left by Wonder Woman, dressed in the garb of the island, and Queen Mera on the right.

Cassie waved to them and walked up, showing deference to the queens. They spoke for a moment before Cassie waved the collected women over. "Your man isn't here." M'gann whispered to Barbara.

"I noticed." Barbara replied, her eyes unreadable behind her large sunglasses. It didn't take M'gann's telepathic gifts to know her fellow redhead wasn't at all pleased.

Once they made their way fully to the Amazons who were there to welcome them, Hippolyta spoke up. "Sisters, thank you for taking the time to come here, and on such short notice. Themyscira welcomes you."

A sea of thank you's came from the assembled women, some a little less enthusiastic than others, particularly Barbara and Jade. While Jade might have played at the attitude, she'd chosen to marry Roy, and him being missing did not sit well with her.

It was Mera who actually spoke up on their behalves though. "Queen Hippolyta, one of my guardsmen chose to ride with the other men instead of taking Atlantean transportation. What word do you have of him?"

"The two ships carrying the men reported rough weather, and will arrive shortly." Hippolyta said, though the look on her face was nothing short of tired. When some of her retinue seemed amused by her response, the reason became obvious. The men were delayed to increase their discomfort.

"That's bollocks." Aasha whispered to Maddie, who seemed remarkably at ease on the island. She took a long, slow breath and turned her face to the sun for a moment, before she answered her friend.

"Yeah, maybe, but they can't afford the trouble that would come with actually losing them. Our toys are fine." Maddie said.

"You might think of yours as a toy, but I don't, and I'm certain Beegee, Wondergirl, Miss M, and Cheshire don't either." Aasha said with a frown. "There's politics at play here."

"Of course there is." Jade purred, leaning into their conversation. "That's what all of this is, politics. They could have handled this whole thing somewhere besides here, or online. We're here, and the boys came with us, because the Queen wants to make her island part of the world at large. We're not sharing information, we're making an example."

In front of them, Hippolyta spread her arms wide. "Sisters, come, and be properly welcomed by the Amazons of Themyscira." She said, and the retinue moved to corral the lot of them, herding them up the beach and towards the city.

Barbara cast another glance over the water, but couldn't catch sight of the other boats. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw set as she switched modes, going from Babs, the adorkable computer girl to Batgirl, the brilliant tactical analyst.

Maddie noticed it, and nudged her. "Calm down, if Koa never shows, Mera'll handle it better than we will."

"That's what you think." Barbara said icily. Her words reminded Maddie why she was terrified of her, causing her to step away from Barbara. Inwardly, she was worried for her team too. Especially if they found out about Fractal. She did not want to be a part of that mess, but she would be in a heartbeat.

Aasha, walking along quietly, was trying her best to keep up despite her short stride. She stopped dead, almost getting trampled by Stargirl, and spoke up. "The other boats have arrived." She said, the familiar sensation of magic tickling the back of her neck.

The retinue, heading through the woodline path on the hill stopped, and at once turned. Hippolyta, now at the very back of the formation, prayed silently that both boats arrived intact, with all of their passengers delayed instead of damaged.

[Thank God.] Barbara thought towards her boy, pushing the sentiment as hard as she could, the moment she saw him exit the cabin. Like Starfire, he flew, though it was more to let the rest of the people behind him out. They spilled out, clearing as quickly as they could to stretch on the beach.

Deke heard her, and smiled while still floating in the air. [I missed you too.] he sent back as he touched down on the sand.

Dick and Kristof, both leaders of their boats, kept the men calm and in relative position while the retinue approached them, heading back down the hill. Both of them understood the importance of what was happening, despite the massive aches and pains of their boat ride. Only Gar, who'd slept the whole way as a hamster, seemed happy, and that left Jason wanting to shoot him.

"Your arrival is momentous." Hippolyta said once the entire retinue had returned to the beach. "Before you, only Superman, and Batman were given permission to set foot upon this island. I understand our culture might seem to despise men, but I assure you, you are welcome here as my guests."

It seemed to Liho that she'd meant that more for the people with her, than to the guys who'd just gotten off the boat. The looks of disdain on their faces reminded him of how his dad felt about haoles, or white people, on the islands.

It was Mal Duncan, who during the course of his tenure with the team had grown accustomed to speaking to important people, who spoke for them. "Thank you Queen Hippolyta. We all appreciate the gravity of the day, and we thank you for the transportation and accommodations."

Behind her, Karen heard one of the Amazons mutter. "A male with a civil tongue?" The words left her with hope that maybe there wouldn't be an international incident happening, and pride that it was her Mal who spoke them.

Again, it was Mera who broke formality. As a fellow Queen, she could apparently do that. "Queen Hippolyta, I'd like to see to my guardsman." She said, and while it was a completely polite, and even friendly statement, it was exactly that; a statement.

"Please, the time for formality has passed." Hippolyta said, looking to her daughter for support. She was beginning to regret trying this. Not because of the male heroes, who had so far been polite and well behaved, but her own sisters, who seemed so stubbornly opposed to the idea.

"Yes, we can all travel together now, it will spare the introductory speech being repeated." Diana said cheerfully. In truth, the speech that had been drafted by the seneschal was both long winded and more than a little derogatory, so if she could finagle a way to bypass it, she would.

"Koa, a word." Mera said, approaching her guardsman.

"Always, my Queen." Liho replied, and hung back with her as the rest of the men shouldered their things and began walking ahead with the large party.

"Liho, Orin told me you protested my decision." Mera said, her tone that of the woman and not the crown. "And I can't fault you. It was something I didn't arrive upon lightly, and I would feel worried if you'd accepted it blindly. We find ourselves all on an important cusp here though, and that drove me to consider you, among all of my guardsmen, for this task."

"I serve you, always, my Queen." Liho said, never really able to follow the language of royalty. "I only protest because love important to me. People can spend time together, but marriage supposed to mean something, at least, to me."

"I would never ask you to sacrifice your integrity Liho. To make such a demand over something of this importance is unnecessary." Mera said, still more the woman than the crown. "My husband might have been a bit overzealous in his explanation, I'll clarify. Pacifica is, in surface parlance, a Duchess belonging to one of the ancient Atlantean houses, and she's of proper age to seek a husband. Because her house had influence among the Polynesian people when they first began inhabiting the islands, I thought of you."

"Yes ma'am." Liho said stoically.

"Koa, I would only order you to wed her to prevent a civil war or a similar catastrophic event. I would, however, ask that you give her a chance, as she has been quite willing to do the same for you. She has even chosen to seek an education on the surface." Mera said, placing her hand on his massive bicep. "You are willing at least that much, I'm sure."

Liho pondered it quietly. Intelligent, he wasn't. Wisdom, however, that was something he possessed in spades. Maddie really only liked him because he didn't tell her no, so far as she ever acted. Nobody else was lining up for him either, but he wasn't about to just put a ring on a girl he never met. "Can I make a request?" he asked after several quiet minutes of talking.

"I must always hear a fair request Liho." Mera replied.

"I can choose to uh, what's it called? Like, where we datin' and stuff but it's more important?" Liho asked, unsure of the word.

"Courting. You want to court beforehand. Yes, that is absolutely acceptable." Mera replied. "She'll be waiting for you at the banquet."

* * *

An hour later, after the long winded introduction that Diana had tried with all her might to have eschewed, the collected heroes were shown to their quartering for the duration of their visit. In the room he and Barbara were sharing, Deke set his things to the side and plopped down on the very large, semicircular sofa in the front center of the room.

"Don't get too comfortable Cowboy." Barbara cautioned him. "We've got that big banquet we're supposed to attend."

Deke turned to look at her, and watched as she moved about the room. The entire place seemed cut from one piece of an almost amber hued marble, with long, billowing white curtains blowing from the ocean breeze through the empty windows. "When is it? That was a freaky long boat ride, I could seriously use a nap."

"Long?" Barbara asked, stopping and looking at her boy. "It was only a couple of hours. Were you that crammed in?"

"Yeah," Deke said, getting up off the couch and walking over to her, leaning against the same column she was. "We were crammed in tight, and it was like eleven hours. See?" he said, and showed her his watch.

Barbara compared the two times with a frown. There was a nine hour gap between them. "Magic." She said with a frown, causing her to wonder what else had transpired. "Okay, so, did you get any sleep on the trip?"

"Some, yeah." He admitted. "I mostly kept tranced though, in case I needed to be useful or something."

Barbara leaned in and stole a kiss from the tip of his nose. "Well, when we get back to Gotham, I promise not to drag you out of bed early, sound good?"

"That sounds perfect." He replied. "Is that a pool or a tub over there?" he added, changing the subject and pointing to the corner.

"That's a tub my lovely." Barbara said, taking him by the hand and walking him over to it. "Maybe later, after the banquet, you and I can get a good soak in?"

"Again, perfect." He said, and took her in for a deep kiss. She giggled into it but wrapped her arms around his head in approval. It was all well and good, especially since for him, it had indeed been several hours since he'd parted with her, but it was interrupted by a polite knocking on the door.

Barbara frowned and turned to look that way. "It's open." She said, and reluctantly released her boy. A tall but slender redheaded woman, in a white dress clinched with a gold belt, stood at the door.

"Forgive the intrusion sister." The woman said, pleasantly enough. "I am Alexa, and I have volunteered to serve as your guide and aide during your time here on Themyscira."

"You volunteered?" Barbara asked, more properly facing the woman to speak to her. "Well, come in I suppose."

"Certainly." Alexa said, and shut the door behind her. "I've come to prepare you and, forgive me, your male, for the banquet."

"He has a name." Barbara said sourly. Since they'd found out that Queen Hippolyta had wanted everyone here, she'd prepared Deke for the kind of treatment he might face. To his credit, he just kept still.

"Yes, forgive me. May I ask?" Alexa said, and her tone of voice reminded Barbara of a more confident M'gann. It was clear she was trying to overcome her taught prejudices, not revel in them.

"Yes, go ahead." Barbara said with an inviting gesture.

"I'm Mustang," Deke said, not sure whether to offer a hand to her or not. "Nice to meet you."

"Mustang, it is, it is good to meet you too. May I ask your name?" Alexa asked of Barbara.

"Batgirl. Not many know me personally." Barbara said, and she did offer her hand. Alexa took it, and shook, but it was like she'd never done it before, and had only ever read about it.

"Since you two share a room, I'm to assume that you are as one?" Alexa asked, standing still and putting her hands behind her back.

"Eventually, yes." Barbara answered. "I don't know your customs, but we might already be according to your laws."

That answer seemed to crack Alexa's shell. She went from still and calm to showing excitement. "If that's the case, may I ask questions of you concerning this? As you can imagine, Amazons are somewhat limited in our knowledge of relationships in the outside world."

[She's adorable.] Barbara pushed out towards her boy. He'd taken the time to teach her how to reach out to him, which she found remarkably useful.

"Yes, you may, though there might come a point where your questions get too personal." Barbara said, gesturing for Alexa to sit with her on the sofa. She purposefully pointed towards one side of the couch, and sat near her, so Deke could sit as well and stretch out.

"Oh, no, we understand sex quite thoroughly. I want to know what it's like to live together. I share a home, but with a friend, and I imagine it's quite different." Alexa replied. It left Barbara feeling relieved that she wasn't asking for those kinds of details. If motivated to explain in depth, she might scar the girl. How Maddie would answer would be quite possibly criminal.

"I suppose the same actually. We aren't together out of a sense of convenience, we're friends too. We share meals, and expenses, we share our burdens and joys too. We're cold together, and we're warm together." Barbara said, and noticed Deke's bag moving of its own volition. The flap slid away after a second and his brush went flying to his hand.

If Alexa noticed, she didn't say anything. "So, there's love between you?" when Barbara nodded, Alexa took on a look that said she's suspected as much. "I knew there were men capable of love, thank you for confirming it for me."

"Uhm, you're welcome?" Deke said, running the brush through his seriously tangled hair. The salty ocean spray hadn't treated his mane that well. "Yeah, we're capable of it." He added after a moment.

"There's detangler in my bag babe." Barbara said absently, kind of gesturing about where she'd put it. "What else would you like to know?"

Alexa sighed. "I volunteered for this because I wanted to learn, but I don't want to be upsetting to your, er, to Mustang. Please forgive me if my wording isn't kind."

"I've been called worse." Deke said with a shrug, and began spraying detangler into his hair to make the brushing go easier.

"How does he resolve anger with you?" Alexa asked, trying to discover the nicest way to ask.

"Usually? Words, though occasionally through food. If you're asking me if he hits me, I can promise we wouldn't be here right now if he tried it." Barbara said, and she could hear his snicker in the back of her head at the absurdity of the idea.

"Are many men like you?" Alexa asked, leaning over to see around Barbara. She blinked a moment as he finally got the brush through his hair, confused as to why that had captured her attention.

"I mean, yeah, I suppose. Everyone's different, but I like to think we're alright for the most part." Deke said, shaking his hair loose and smoothing it back out the way he wanted it to lay. It would, of course, dry into the extremely loose curls he developed whether he liked it or not, but for the moment, it laid straight.

"This is splendid. Since you share a home, do you engage more frequently?" Alexa asked, and for some reason, that was not the least bit embarrassing to ask. Indeed, Amazons understood how people expressed love, but apparently, it wasn't so taboo to talk about.

"You want to field that one babe?" Deke offered as he unlaced his boots.

"Yeah, I got this one." Barbara said, and smiled at their guest. "No, but no less either. I'm not as expected to suppress my desires like my mother, and her mother were. When I want to _engage_ , usually, all I have to do is ask."

This seemed intriguing, if Alexa's curious expression was any indication. More or less on the spot, Barbara decided she liked the girl. "Do you share children?" she asked.

"No, not yet. We're avoiding that until we've been properly married for a couple of years." Barbara said. "But we plan to."

"Once you do, will he then leave?" Alexa asked, her head cocked to the side.

"I hadn't planned on it, no." Deke answered, quickly stuffing his socks into his travel boots and shoving them into his bag. He pulled out a small package of baby wipes and cleaned his feet off to kill the smell. "We don't do that as much anymore."

"Goodness!" Alexa exclaimed. "I'm so excited! If this is too far, I apologize, but, may I see you kiss?"

"You wanna see us kiss?" Deke asked. Not the strangest thing anyone's ever watched them do, but it was probably the strangest request.

"Yes, I've read about it, I understand its purpose, but we don't have technology on Themyscira, so I cannot see it in the films Diana has told us about." Alexa said.

Barbara shrugged, it was all things considered, a reasonable request. She'd draw the line just past it, but a kiss, she could do. The girl wanted to learn, and she wasn't asking for one herself. "C'mere and kiss me Cowboy." She requested, turning to look at her fiancée.

Deke shrugged, slid towards his love, and brushed her hair from her face before leaning in to her. Barbara brushed her lips across his and then placed them, kissing him with mouth slightly parted. Tongue was just too far, but he ended it by using his lips to nibble her bottom one. The slight flush and smile on Barbara's face was perfect.

"That _is_ beautiful." Alexa said, all but clapping. "Now, I'll quit assailing you with questions. I must still prepare you both for the banquet."


	16. Chapter 16 (Lime, actually)

February 16th  
Themyscira  
1800 Amazonian Reckoning

One by one, the visiting heroes, for all intents and purposes delegates to the outside world, began filtering in. The request that everyone arrive in traditional garb had left many looking more than a little uncomfortable and exposed. Others though, took Wonder Woman's suggestion of creativity and had ran with it. Barbara, for example, had gotten her hands on a very sheer veil which she covered her eyes with.

It left her looking positively exotic, and it also left Deke having a hard time thinking, especially since she had a habit of batting her eyes at him under the sheer material. Of course, the more difficult thing was the skirt made of what looked like leather belts, under which was white linen (and a pair of boxer briefs, he was not going to introduce himself with his business hanging out). That was it, period. No shirt, no shoes, no service. He'd went ahead and slipped his glasses on though, once he saw Nightwing and Robin doing the same.

They were all introduced, their guides giving their names to a herald at the door, who called them out one by one under their heroic identities. It seemed like most of the guides were as excited about the gig as Alexa had been, but it was clear the herald didn't like soiling her mouth with the masculine identifiers such as Boy, or Lad.

One by one, they took their seats around a huge ring shaped table, at the head of which sat Hippolyta and Diana. There were empty spaces remaining, but there were also Atlanteans yet to arrive.

And, arrive they did. As visiting sovereigns, the pomp and fanfare was much greater, though only Orin and Mera were introduced, with the remainder being lumped in as retinue.

"Hey, check it." Deke whispered to Barbara, gesturing subtly towards Liho. "That girl next to Koa is the Atlantean student that's going to school with us."

Barbara looked, and did a small double take. "You said she was 'objectively hot'. You didn't say she was gorgeous." She said, taking a moment to really look at the girl. Lean, with delicate elfin features and extremely long blonde hair. She wore very little, and that was mostly wrapping to preserve some dignity. The only real hint to her origins were three slits on her neck, obviously gills.

"She's sitting next to Koa, you think that's who he's expected to marry?" Deke asked, amused at his girl's drooling over the blonde Atlantean.

"Seeing as how she keeps touching his arm, I'm guessing so." Barbara replied, realizing she was doing the very same thing to her boy. When he looked at her, she blushed and slipped her hand away, not wanting the very innocent display of affection to offend their hosts' sensibilities.

Once the introductions were out of the way, the meal was served. "I loves me some deer." Deke said when the diners were informed of the night's main dish, though all of it was good. It was preceded by a salad of vegetables which were extinct elsewhere in the world, but had thrived on Themyscira, a thin but rich seafood soup, and then the deer with roasted herb butter potatoes and some kind of intentionally wilted spinach.

The dessert, which came well after the meal, was baklava, but not like anything Barbara had ever had before. Instead of the several thin layers, it was closer to a soft pastry, but no less delicious. Whoever was in charge of the kitchens had absolutely outdone themselves.

Wine had flowed throughout the meal, which had probably done more to help break down old cultural prejudices than any amount of conversation. Several of the assembled Themyscirans, members of the Queen's council, had gone from sour and hateful to quite thoroughly amusing the drunker they got. They still weren't perfectly okay with the idea of dining with men, but they were a far cry from wanting to go to violence.

* * *

That welcoming feeling had lasted long into the night, where Deke and Barbara found themselves taking advantage of the moonlight and the scenery. On the balcony, their nude bodies cooled by the ocean breeze, Barbara laid on the long lounging chair, prepared to have her boy.

Poised above her, Deke was just as ready, if not more so, to slip into her and spend the night that way. Barbara wrapped her arms around his neck as he eased within her, giving an oooh as he took his time with it.

So, when he made an angry face and stopped after only a few seconds, it left her wondering. "Did, did you finish already?" she asked. She wasn't upset, since it really was something that never happened. More, she was confused, because of that exact same reason. That just didn't happen with him.

"Hair of it." He muttered, and took a deep breath, before trying again. Once more, she cooed at his entrance, and once more, he swore and froze.

"You okay Cowboy?" she asked, the mood slowly leaking from the moment.

"Yeah, I swear I am. You know this don't happen." He said, worried she'd be unhappy with his obviously poor performance.

"I know babe. You know what, hang on. Just back up a second." Barbara said, sitting up on the chair, and looking straight at his stiff equipment and almost swollen sack. She made a thoughtful face, dipped a finger between her legs to collect some of her dew, and spread it across his shaft before slowly stroking him. "Don't stop it this time." She said, and watched.

It was too much to bear in an instant, his body wanting desperately to finish already. Reflexively, he tried backing it off again, but she'd asked him not to, so he just let his body do what it wanted. Within maybe a half a dozen strokes, that moment hit, almost explosively.

"Holy shit!" he said, almost blind in the moment as the powerful climax hit him, causing all of his higher cognitive functions to cease for an instant.

"Holy shit!" she said simultaneously, as his shaft erupted, spewing way, _way_ more than usual. Barbara counted eight spurts, each of which was easily equal to his usual completion, and most of it wound up on her torso. Smart, she definitely was, but occasionally, her brain worked too fast for her own good. "Are you okay?" She asked, still gripping his shaft lightly.

He mumbled something, and had to put his hands on the balcony to steady himself, eventually just sliding down onto the floor to keep from falling. The cool marble on his behind at least helped get his brain back in order. "What witchcraft did Ash teach you?" he finally mumbled.

"She didn't." Barbara said with a frown, and trailed a finger through the sticky mess she'd accidentally made of herself with him. She daubed it lightly on her tongue for a moment, and made a horribly disgusted face.

"Wow, thanks." Deke deadpanned as she spat it out violently and began scraping her tongue off.

"No, that's awful." She said, looking all around herself. Finally, a linen towel floated towards her, her boy's hand out and aiming at it. Before speaking again, she wiped her tongue off, and then began the rather onerous process of cleaning her breasts, chest, and stomach. "Before you hacked your body, it was a little salty but mostly bland. This was actually horrible."

"You trying to say something there Red?" Deke asked, still trying to shake his brain loose.

"Yes I am. Can you get my belt from my bag?" Barbara asked, still wiping herself off and probably needing another towel to finish the remainder.

Another gesture, and her whole bag came floating softly in the air to land at her feet. She reached in, pulled out her utility belt, and opened one of the pouches to produce a small kit. She opened the kit up, and used what looked like a tiny spoon to scrape some of his semen off her chest, and then transferred it back into the kit.

"Babe, I think something's up." Barbara said, digging into her bag, grabbing another towel, finishing her cleaning, and then yanking out one of the shirts she'd appropriated from him. "This chemical analyzer should confirm my suspicions. Are you feeling any different?"

"Yeah, now that he's on his way down, I do." Deke said. "My heart's racing though, and I didn't really do anything."

"This is about the only time I'm not going to be offended that you said that." Barbara said, pulling her shirt on. "How much did you drink?" she asked.

"Two cups, you know I don't like wine that much." Deke said, summoning his pajama pants to his hand and pulling them on. His legs still didn't feel all that steady after what had just happened, like he'd spent himself enough for the next year.

"Figured. Do a blood draw on me please?" She asked, watching the lights on the analyzer ticking away until completion.

"Sure." Deke said, and got up on his feet. He wandered into the living space and grabbed his bag, bringing the whole ordeal out. When he got there, Barbara was busy studying the analyzers report, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"I take it that wasn't just wine?" He asked as he opened his kit and gloved up.

"No, not so much. There's a lot of metabolites in here that don't add up to anything in the database. There's ephedra though, that explains your heart racing." Barbara said as he gently took her arm, swabbed it, and placed the tip of the butterfly to her vein.

"Quick pinch." He said reflexively, and slid the needle in, grateful her veins were neither deep nor feisty. He filled the tube easily, removed the needle, and put a piece of gauze over it. "Pressure here babe." He asked, and put the blood tube in her free hand.

Barbara sighed in frustration as she swapped sample tubes in the analyzer, and ran it again, this time on her blood. It would be very telling as to what had happened. Deke let her fume for a moment, and watched as her incredible brain began working. Connections fired off, linking like a latticework of light, while a black background began illuminating behind it all. Memory and reason were working in unison.

"Deke, confirm what I'm thinking and tell me what you noticed when you got into this room earlier?" Barbara asked at length.

"It was really clean, and super polished up." Deke said, thinking back. "And these curtains look weird, but I can't figure out why."

"I know why." Barbara said, padding over towards the entrance to the room itself. "Come here."

When he walked over, she pointed it out. "This weave is really irregular and the cuts aren't perfectly straight. Your brain noticed it but it never made it to your conscious mind. These were made really quickly, like nobody expected the order to come in."

"So, you're saying this wasn't some well-planned event like they're making it out to be?" Deke asked. "So, why the aphrodisiacs in the wine?"

"Son of a bitch." Barbara swore. "Think about what Cassie said. Any girl conceived on Themyscira enjoys the benefits of citizenship. Alexa said all the guides were volunteers too. I think someone is trying to make babies happen here."

"That ain't good. Wonder Woman said her mom wants to ease this place into actually becoming a part of the world. Having some huge claim on people's kids is gonna start a big legal mess too, especially if we were informed of it first." Deke said with a frown.

"No, what isn't good is some of the physiologies of the people with us. Who knows how this would affect Superboy, or Beast Boy, or M'gann for that matter. I didn't get all hot and bothered until you started getting frisky, so I don't think it affects women. Oh hell, Cowboy, how much do you know about Kristof's medical history?"

Deke went from frowning to scowling. "Hormone therapy for a while now before he gets the surgery. It's hard telling what that did to him, and I know I saw him have at least one cup."

This was slowly becoming something that couldn't be handled in the morning. "Who's in your range?" She asked, growing steadily more worried. There's no way Cassie knew about this, but she was sharing a room with Tim and she couldn't be certain how the aphrodisiacs would interact with their birth control.

"Probably everybody if I can get myself in the right mindset." Deke said, and walked towards the couch. "Definitely M'gann though, and I know she can cover this whole palace, so she can switchboard."

"Do it please." Barbara said while trying to restrain her urgency, crawling behind him on the sofa and grabbing the hairbrush. She had a few tricks for calming her boy down, and running a brush through his hair was one of more effective ones that let her keep her clothes on.

Deke relaxed and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the thundering of his heart in his chest and the jittery feeling in his limbs. The faint dig of the brush bristles into his scalp as Barbara pulled the brush through his mane became a center point, giving him something to push out from. As should be expected, it was nothing to sense her thoughts behind him, but as he continued to push further, more lights, like stars in a black void, began to emerge.

The brightest, he tapped first. [Are you okay?] he asked, letting his psychic voice carry the weight of his concern.

[I feel a bit funny, now that you ask. What's wrong?] M'gann replied, her tone of 'voice' puzzled and distant.

[We gotta link up everyone. If you can do the hard work I'll be your battery.] he offered.

[Yeah, okay, we can do that.] M'gann said after a moment, and tied her thoughts to his. She immediately saw that same void of stars, and began weaving lines through the ones she wanted, like a spider building a web. Each gossamer connection became stronger as she added another, and another to it, leaving the huge group of people linked across a network of what seemed like braided steel cable.

[Anyone else feeling strange?] M'gann asked. When her question was met with choruses of yes from the men (except Conner and Kristof) and no's from the women, she had a feeling she understood what was happening.

[Have any of you been approached by your guides? And also, who drank the wine at the banquet?] Barbara asked across the connection.

[Is there a problem if I say yes?] Jason asked.

[Red Hood, did you do what I think you did?] Barbara shot towards him, her chest growing icy.

[Yeah, probably, but when I grabbed condoms she got mad and left, so yeah, what you're considering is most likely what's happening here.]

[Is it a problem if I seduced my guide?] Maddie asked, and for once, she didn't seem like she was saying it to get a rise out of anyone.

[Woah!] Tye said.

[Dios mio! Seriously?] Jaime responded over top of him.

[Yeah, seriously, it was hot, now shush you two. Is this like international incident kind of bad?] Maddie said. She was sitting on her bed, her guide still passed out next to her. The girl, who'd acted a pretty tough game, couldn't handle a professional's work.

[No, unless you've got man parts.] Deke interjected.

[You most certainly know I don't.] Maddie replied.

Consciously, Deke shook his head and facepalmed. Barbara patted him on the shoulder and kissed him softly on the head. Her ears perked up a half a second later, so she made the instant decision to keep up the charade.

"What the hell babe?" Deke asked when she started making soft cooing noises, momentarily ignoring the mental link.

"We're being spied on." Barbara whispered and let out a long, low moan. "I'm keeping up appearances, don't judge me."

"I'm not, don't worry." He said, not sure how to process his girl faking it while sitting on the couch behind him.

[Mustang?] Liho called out. [You there brah?]

[Yeah, sorry, long story. What's up? Did your biotech purge the stuff?] Deke asked, trying not to get distracted by Barbara's deception. It was, at least, nothing at all like she sounded when they were having fun for real.

[No, and I think I'm married now.] Liho said sorrowfully.

[Well, that was sudden.] Nightwing interjected. [Kaldur?]

[It is quite possible, under Atlantean laws, though Aquaman, as King, can dissolve it if such a thing happened under coercion.]

Behind Deke, Barbara had gone from low moans into fast, panting squeals, throwing out some occasional naughty talk that was completely out of character for her. Unable to fully focus, Deke turned to look at her, and saw the most entertained expression on her face. She showed him the tip of her tongue and poked at him, using sign language to tell him it was his turn.

Shaking his head, Deke grunted a few times, slapped the sofa cushion and let out a horrible moaning "Oh yeah baby!"

[What the hell are you two doing in there?] Cassie asked, having kept quiet due to dread. Tim hadn't drank anything, so the news had been a surprise. They were, in fact, trying to sleep, in the next room over.

[Being spied on, had to keep up appearances.] Barbara said in an embarrassed tone. She did not want Tim hearing that from her.

[Not convincing.] Cassie retorted. [So, we'll talk more tomorrow, but for now, nobody let their guides in.]

[Wait, I wasn't supposed to let my guide in?] Eduardo said, out of nowhere. [Sorry, I was kind of busy.]


	17. Chapter 17

February 17th  
Themyscira  
0630 Amazonian Reckoning

"Good morning!" Alexa said after having received permission to enter. She carried trays with her, loaded with fruits, bread, meat and cheese. "I trust last night was both enjoyable and comfortable?"

Barbara, relaxing on the couch, just placed a hand on her stomach absently and smiled dreamily. "It was wonderful, thank you for asking Alexa."

"I see your male is a heavy sleeper." Alexa said, gesturing towards the bed in the corner of the room, where Deke lay sleeping. "I'm sorry, your Mustang."

"He is." Barbara said, nodding. "This food looks wonderful."

Alexa smiled brightly. "Since Diana's visit to the outside world, she's been kind enough to bring many books back, among which are several cookbooks that have kept the palace cooks entertained for quite a while."

"It's obvious." Barbara said. "Will you be joining us for breakfast?"

"Oh no, I've already eaten. I'm a scholar, so I have to be prepared to take notes from you concerning the Cult of Apokalips later this afternoon." Alexa replied. Barbara was having a hard time consolidating her opinion of the woman upon meeting her, with what the entire group worked out last night. She didn't seem the type to act like that.

"Well then, I think it's time I woke him up so we can get cleaned up before the meeting. Forgive us, but Themyscira left a mark on our spirits, so he's not exactly dressed." Barbara said, emphasizing her boy's lack of clothing under the sheets.

"Goodness, certainly." Alexa said, scurrying out of the room. "Oh, the pitcher is sheep's milk, if you're curious." She added, before pulling the door to behind her.

After a couple of seconds, Deke sat up and tossed the sheet off, still in boxer briefs. "She's clean." He said, walking over towards his love.

Barbara, analyzer in hand, was waiting for the results before she touched the food. When it pinged, she set it aside and popped a grape into her mouth. "Food's clean too. You're sure about her?"

Deke nodded. "Yeah, I don't think there's deceptive bone in her body, or else she could give Batman a few tips. She was genuinely pleased we had a good night. To tell the truth, the only thing on her mind when you mentioned last night was that she hoped it was romantic." Deke said, taking a bite of bread and some kind of soft white cheese he decided he wasn't a big fan of.

"She was here for us, a known couple. There was no need for her to get more involved than showing us around, maybe planting the idea when she asked us about our relationship or asked us to kiss." Barbara said. "But, that was sweet of her to hope for romance. It would've been to, if not for, well, you know."

"Yeah." Deke said, frowning. His junk was still sore from whatever aphrodisiac the Themyscirans had given them.

* * *

Andromache, another of the volunteers, cracked the door open to the much smaller room offered to the one who called himself Grifter. She peeked both ways, and slipped out, leaving the man within the room asleep and unaware. Despite volunteering for this, she felt positively violated by the memories of his hands on her body, and she was pleased it would never have to happen again.

In the room, Cole rolled over and gave a wry glance to the door. [Mine just left, none the wiser.] he said over the link M'gann had re-established an hour ago. As another victim of the Fulcrum project, he too possessed psychic abilities, though as an earlier subject, his were considerably less developed. That was fine, it meant he had to get creative, and playing on the woman's arrogance and disdain of him had been enough to get an opening. While she might firmly believe she'd taken him for his seed, the reality was, he never touched her. Just one big false memory, something he'd had plenty of practice in creating.

[Excellent.] Nightwing said. [I never got a visit last night, not sure how to take that.]

[It's because we have the same girl guiding us both.] Jason said, shaving with an extremely smug look on his face. [I'll let you play detective and figure out why she picked me.]

[We're not doing this now.] Aasha argued from her room. The whole experience from last night had left her particularly upset. Deke and Liho might have a place in the love portion of her heart, but she cared for several people on the team, and the idea that they were being drugged and taken advantage of had pissed her off properly. If the place weren't monitored by a legitimate deity, she probably would have been exceptionally expressive in showing her displeasure.

* * *

"Are you conversing telepathically?" Pacifica asked, sitting up from the bed she'd shared with Liho, and stroking him softly on the back. His expression was more distant and far-away than she'd seen so far, but her cousin Mera had prepared her for what might take place.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Liho said, turning around to look at her. "Look, Pacifica, I think we need a talk."

"You were drugged last night, I know Koa." Pacifica said. "I won't accept last night as consummation of courtship, but nor will I call you a mistake either. You needn't worry, this isn't a fertile time for me." she added at the sight of his concerned expression.

"Wow, okay, that was a lot less hard than I thought." Liho said, feeling relieved that she wasn't going to take advantage of his altered state.

"Thank you Liho." Pacifica said, curling up beside him. "And thank you for giving this a chance. The Atlantean nobility was growing wearisome, with their offers of the riches of the deep and unfulfillable promises. I simply couldn't take that any longer. I don't want a husband who seeks a title, I want a husband who will seek a companion."

"I grew up with a dad, never gave nobody not Hawaiian a chance. I can't be that guy." Liho said, reaching over and pulling his shorts on.

"A chance is all we need Liho. If love will occur, it will occur." Pacifica said, rolling over lazily and grabbing her clothing. She chose something considerably more demure to cover her deep bronze skin since the day didn't demand her finest, but it was no less stunning. She was a Duchess after all.

February 17th  
Themyscira  
0800 Amazonian Reckoning

After breakfast, and some more telepathic conversation, the heroes gathered and made their way, with the help of their guides, to the grand library. "I'm a little excited right now, not gonna lie." Barbara said upon entering the place, glancing about at the tall marble cases which seemed to be part of the same stone as the rest of the room. They sat floor to ceiling in a perfectly laid out circle, each of them easily a couple dozen feet wide, and filled with books, scrolls, tablets, and other sundry collections of knowledge.

"You and I both." Kristof said. He looked queasy, pale, and a little sweaty, likely caused by the bizarre interaction of the drugs with his chemically altered physiology. "I might be wrong, but this may be a very close generation to the original epic of Gilgamesh."

"The library in Nanda Parbat is much bigger." Damien said, completely nonplussed.

"There will be time for a tour later." An Amazon said. She immediately recognized the one they called Grifter, though he seemed ignorant of her. "Please, come this way."

[That's my guide.] Cole said across their link. [Mustang, Miss Martian, check my work.]

M'gann gestured surreptitiously towards Deke. She was the more powerful telepath, so it would be easier, but it gave him an opportunity to try that she didn't want to take. She'd check both of them anyway, so it wasn't negligent.

Deke brushed Barbara's hand, who clasped it as they walked, so she could guide him, allowing him an opportunity to focus a bit closer on Andromache's mind. Like Grifter had said, her pure unmitigated disgust was perfectly evident, right on the top of her thoughts. It allowed him to dig deeper though, she was in no way worried about the heroes.

The group passed several more rooms, each like the first, and each laid out as another point on a large wheel, giving the sense of eternity. Finally, they arrived in the twelve o'clock position on the ring of circular rooms, where many tables were laid out, each of which was staffed by a scholar with pen and ink. [Yeah, she's the one in charge.] M'gann said after checking Deke's work.

"Congratulations. You've been given the divine privilege of conversing with the most brilliant women in the world." Andromache said arrogantly, and stepped off to the side.

"I do that on a daily basis you hateful bitch." Deke whispered sourly. He'd seen what resided in that woman's mind, and he wasn't so much a fan of it. Barbara squeezed his hand to both calm him, and to remind him she was there. He gave her a properly warm smile, and parted with her, approaching the desk with a small paper placard with the word Mustang penned on it.

"Hello, I'm Mustang." Deke said politely, pulling the chair away from his side of the desk.

"I am Helen, please take a seat." The scribe said professionally. Deke took a quick glimpse at her surface thoughts, and, surprise surprise, more disgust. Apparently she thought he smelled bad.

It was like that for many of the heroes. Cassie even experienced some of this treatment when she'd arrived holding hands with Tim. Of course, she had the voice to say something about it, though she wisely chose not to. Any other time, she'd remind the scholar who she was speaking to with such attitude. This was not any other time.

Andromache stood aloof off to the corner of the room, listening to the stories the so-called heroes of man's world shared, only kind of paying attention to any of them. She couldn't even rightfully call any of the women a sister, as so many seemed too attached to their men, and not as property. Even Cassie was too tainted by it.

"The individuals were largely hired, unaware of their true masters." The Atlantean said in his measured, stoic tone.

"Only a few seemed to know what was really going on." The redhead actually from Earth told to her scribe.

"A few seemed to be in charge." The male with the alien machine attached to his back recounted.

"Even they were weak." The little male whelp said. "As though they had received no training at all." Andromache wanted to slap the arrogance off that boy most of all.

"They all had Omega tattoos, though there was no logic to the placement, seeming more a personal choice." The Nightwing male replied.

"We dealt with those in the slave market." The Nubian woman who saw it necessary to dress as a honeybee replied.

"Seemed like they were selling women overseas, I hate to say it, but probably sex slaves." Said the one with the ridiculous hat, his use of language making him sound ignorant, like most men.

"Drugs. They were shipping drugs." Another woman said, this one might not be so bad. Trying to comprehend her was annoying though.

"They seemed so interested in trying to conceive children though." Another woman, dark, and very scrawny.

That caught Andromache's attention. She took a glance at the little woman, who had continued on, chattering away about the same things the rest were talking about. She scowled, but forced her face back to neutral.

"They all had this strange rape-y vibe to them too." A male with a horrible haircut said, the one that Chrysanthe had successfully seduced the night before.

"I think they were giving people drugs to try and control them." The spawn of Superman said.

"One of them didn't bear a tattoo." Andromache's shame said. "It was a scar, concealed among several which came from a lifetime of battle."

Casting a glance around, Andromache slipped away, her heart thundering in her chest. This had taken a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse. She'd underestimated the women of man's world, and it was biting her now. She cursed the names of the women that Cassie had spoken of so favorably, wishing them every horrible fate Hades could visit upon them. Now more than ever, she detested baring herself before the thing. Bringing gifts of children to her master would bring great boon to her and her people, but it had exposed her.

Once clear of the room, she dashed through the hallways, running like a deer and making a beeline for the exit of the palace, where she could slip out of the city and into the old ruins where her things were waiting for her. She could finally activate the ancient technology and see her God face to face, on his realm, the true Apokalips.

Of course, before that, she got face to face with a fist. A very familiar fist. A fist that carried with it the wrath of all Themyscira. Her vision blurry, Andromache glanced at Princess Diana. "You bring shame upon us all Andromache. My anger is only outweighed by my disappointment." She said, and Andromache's world went black in a sudden and violent way.


	18. Chapter 18

February 17th  
Themyscira  
1200 Amazonian Reckoning

Andromache opened her eyes, the pain and swelling in her face making it difficult. Sweat trickled in when her eyelids cracked, making it worse. There was a din of noise surrounding her, and she felt sand beneath her bare feet. She was in the arena, and she was tied to a post.

"Andromache, you and those who serve you stand before the sisters of Themyscira to be judged." Hippolyta called out, and those words stung worst of all. When an Amazon did wrong, she was judged by her sisters, but it was clear her being cast out was a foregone conclusion.

Through cracked and split lip, Andromache tried to speak out on her behalf, but no words could follow. Hippolyta continued to speak when it appeared she had nothing to say. "Chrysanthe, daughter of Echo. Alexa, daughter of Melanippe. Elektra, daughter of Iole. Elektra, daughter of Leda. Kalliope, daughter of Melina. Hermione, daughter of Artemis. Mariah, daughter of Eudora. Eleni, daughter of Eleni. Desponia, daughter of Hebe. Iole, daughter of Melissa. Calypso, daughter of Sotiria. Xenia, daughter of Amara. You all stand here, before the sisters of Themyscira to be judged."

In the stands, in the front and center box, a great pain stabbed through Hippolyta's heart. The judgement they received would be terrible, it had to be. "You stand before us, charged with treason, and conspiracy against Themyscira with an entity of evil. At the conclusion of these proceedings, you will all be cast out, into the greater world, never to return."

Andromache's heart sank, and the collective groans and cries of sadness from her sisters confirmed the punishment effective. Finally able to get her mouth working, Andromache spoke up, trying to raise her voice over the jeers of the Amazons. "I will not be cast out. I invoke my right to face my accuser in battle!"

In the stands, this seemed to please Diana, but Hippolyta frowned. "Mother, what's wrong?"

"Her accuser is one of the men of the outside world. He cannot face her in a challenge of legal bearing." Hippolyta said. "And there would be a riot if I changed the law regarding it, here and now, for special circumstance. Our sisters may be progressing, but we're not there yet."

Diana nodded. "I will stand in his proxy." She offered.

"You cannot, for the same reason." Hippolyta said, still frowning.

"Then allow me this, Mother." Diana said, and walked to the edge of the balcony. "Andromache, you will face a championess of your accuser, who will also hail from the outside world. Under our law, you will be tended to, and prepared for battle, as will they."

A cheer rose from the crowd at the Princess' words. There'd been a low murmur once the logic trap of Andromache's request had hit home, but the solution seemed perfectly equitable.

"One day, I pray you return to lead your people Diana." Hippolyta said, relieved. She wouldn't presume to speak for their guests out of courtesy and diplomacy, but Diana knew them far better.

"One day, but not this day, Mother." Diana said reassuringly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to find a volunteer."

* * *

"So, if any of you are willing to volunteer, please, step forward." Diana said to the heroines of the greater world, as they stood out in the garden outside the guest wing. In a perfect scenario, Black Canary would have been her best choice, but Dinah, and the rest of the League, had decided to stay behind and continue their work.

As she expected, every one of them stepped forward. Wondergirl would make an excellent challenge, as she was perfectly capable of handling Andromache, but her status among the Amazons rendered her unable. Batgirl was also an extremely dangerous combatant, but she was still in the process of healing from having teeth removed just a few days ago.

Many others simply weren't in Andromache's proverbial weight class. Bumblebee would be unable to put up a proper fight, Godiva, while powerful, was still largely untested. It left her with two obvious choices.

"Cheshire, your husband was wronged, so I cannot choose you. However, Tigress, your stake in this, while perhaps personal, is less so. Andromache is a powerful combatant, well trained, and honed after centuries on this island. She had a hand in training me as a young girl, in fact. You may reconsider."

Artemis set her jaw and took another step forward. "I'm going to own this bitch."

"You might want to reconsider your bluster, but I admire your commitment." Diana said. Not far away, the men were sitting, and she gestured towards them, beckoning them to come over.

"Tigress will be your champion. Under Themysciran law, the challenge will take place in the hour before sunset. She will be sequestered until then, expected to rest, warm up, and make peace with her Gods, but she may have visitors." Diana said. "Until we can be certain of the intentions of other volunteers to guide you where you may and may not go, however, all of you must remain confined to quarters. Miss Martian, are you willing to help in this?"

"I'd love to!" M'gann said cheerfully, walking over towards Diana.

"Then it's best everyone get to their guest rooms. I will ask Queen Hippolyta if we may make accommodation to allow the men to observe. As you might imagine, this has never before been an issue." Diana said a bit wryly.

The team milled about a moment before walking back into the guest wing. Barbara took Deke's hand, and caught up to Diana before she and M'gann had gotten too far.

"Wonder Woman. Do you have a minute?" Barbara asked, coming up to a stop beside her.

"Yes Batgirl, of course." Diana replied, pausing M'gann.

"You mentioned that Andromache was the only one who requested judgement by combat. Who else was judged?" Barbara asked.

"All of the volunteers and two of Andromache's friends. They confessed and implicated everyone being cast out now." Diana replied. "Why do you ask?"

"We didn't have time to explain everything, but we know for certain, Alexa, at least, was duped into it. Possibly others." Barbara said, and lightly nudged her boy.

"Yeah, I kinda poked into her head this morning when she brought breakfast. The girl's genuine." Deke said. "Probably a few others. If you're having Miss M check people out, you might wanna have her take a peek at the others, you might be evicting good people."

"I will tell Queen Hippolyta." Diana said, knowing that her mother would feel considerably relieved at that news. "Thank you both."

"You're welcome." Barbara said, and turned towards her boy. "Okay, let's get moving before we get in trouble."

Deke nodded and the two dashed off heading towards the entrance to the guest quarters. Diana smiled at the pair of them, running off while still holding hands, like children. "This is my dream for Themyscira."

"Boys being allowed to live here?" M'gann asked, not sure what she meant.

"No, Love being allowed to live here." Diana replied, causing M'gann to bop herself in the head with the heel of her palm.

* * *

Deke and Barbara skidded into their room, giggling at their behavior. "I haven't done that since grade school." Barbara said, her face as red as her hair from laughing.

"I've never done it before at all." Her boy replied, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the sofa. She nuzzled him as he carried her, and curled up on him once they were both on the sofa.

"The mood of the day isn't really helping if you're trying to get lucky there Cowboy." Barbara reminded him. Truth be told, Themyscira had sort of dried her up so to speak.

"Who said I wanted to get lucky?" Deke replied, curling up on the couch with her. "What if I wanna make like to you?"

"You want to make like to me? So, how's that even work?" Barbara asked, hunching her shoulders and giggling as he nuzzled into her neck.

"About like this." Deke replied. "You're a natural."

* * *

"Pacifica seemed quite relaxed and comfortable today." Kaldur said to Liho, the Atlanteans relaxing beneath the lagoon beneath the Themysciran waters and taking lunch. "I trust you and she have communicated well?"

"Yeah brah." Liho said, though truth be told he was still a mixed bag of feelings. "She pretty nice."

"Pacifica? Whale, she doesn't know what the floor looks like, her nose sits so high. Never even so much as a hello to me." L'gann replied, gnawing on a piece of sea bass.

"No." Liho corrected. "She for real pretty nice. Like, she don't use big words or nothin', and she look at me when she talk too."

"Mera's house is well known for their conduct among all people." Kaldur said in agreement. "A trait which serves all of Atlantis well."

"She's related to the queen?" L'gann asked. He was a warrior, and had little patience to learn the order of peerage and their relatives. He had a king, that's what he needed to know.

"Yes. They are close cousins." Kaldur said, silently apologizing to the octopus he was about to eat.

"That's a big deal, Whale. Big things for you it looks like." L'gann said, clapping Liho on the shoulder.

"Sure. Seem like it." Liho said. "Oh hey, there she is now." He said, looking up at Pacifica. She swam over to the three heroes and slipped into the empty seat at the small table they were sharing.

"Is this a conversation of warriors?" She asked politely. Never mind the fact that among Atlantean sorcerers, only Queen Mera was her superior, while Tempest matched her.

"No, Lady Pacifica, you are of course welcome here." Kaldur replied. He'd met Pacifica years ago, at the Conservatory of Sorcery, where she studied along with Tula and Garth.

"I would like to steal Koa away." Pacifica said. He'd barely touched his food, and looked far away again. He'd been described as being very happy, so this behavior was unlike what she'd expected.

"Sure." Liho said, getting up and pushing his chair in, before sliding his plate in front of L'gann, who didn't have to be asked twice.

Once they'd swam away a distance, floating over the sea floor outside of the Atlantean camp, Pacifica looked to the man she'd like to call husband. "You are unhappy?" she asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

Liho sighed, an odd action underwater. "I uh, I'm goin all over the place. My friends are up there, dealin' with stuff, and I'm down here eatin'. That ain't what Koa do, y'know?"

"You are a man of action, admittedly, a trait I respect and also find attractive. Is that all that bothers you?" Pacifica asked, sinking to the sea floor with him. Truth be told, that trait, combined with his very honest view of the world was quite refreshing.

"No, just gettin' used to stuff, y'know? You a nice lady so I hafta get over being weird about my Queen introducing us too. I live a simple life, yeah? I see a wave, I catch it. Nobody told me gonna be so much responsibility." Liho said honestly.

"I believe you are putting stress where there is none Koa." Pacifica said. "This is all just a wave, perhaps a difficult one, but a wave all the same. Whether you fall, or not, you've grown. That's all that matters."

"Liho. You can call me Liho." He replied. "Koa just what I call myself when I'm doin' the job."

"Liho, that's a lovely name. One of the Hawaiian kings, am I correct?" Pacifica asked, crossing her long legs beneath her.

"Yeah, that's right!" Liho said, cheering up. "Fourth Kamehameha."

Pacifica smiled. Her house had certainly had some influence with the ancient Polynesian cultures before the surfacers from Europe had ever arrived, and it was history she'd learned as a child. "Liho, might we talk about something else?"

"Okay, sure." Liho said with a shrug. "What you wanna talk about?"

"Last night, actually. I will not change my mind and call what happened a consummation, but, it did happen." Pacifica said, though her gentle expression told Liho she wasn't looking to get deep about things.

"Yeah, uh, that don't normally happen with me." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Usually I do a little better." He said, referencing the rather abrupt conclusion to their activities thanks to the aphrodisiacs.

"That is, reassuring, to know." Pacifica said. "But not what I wanted to discuss with you. If we're to court properly, that cannot happen again. That's to say, under proper courtship. It is my right to choose if I want proper courtship, and not a law of Atlantis."

"Okay, so what do you mean?" Liho asked, not particularly certain where this was going. Was she saying she didn't want to do it anymore or something?

Pacifica smiled softly at her suitor. "If we're to properly court, there are rules. Otherwise we should, what is the surface word? Date?"

"Oh, yeah, okay. No, I didn't know, it's whatever though." Liho said, only about ninety percent certain he was following her now.

"So, you are comfortable with a less formal approach?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued. "I will say, I'd prefer to wait a while longer before we go to the sand again. Last night, before we understood you were drugged, I'd assumed you'd accepted me based upon our conversation at the banquet. I know this is backwards, but is it acceptable?"

"Yeah, sure." Liho said with a shrug. "Okay. We can wait to do it again. I don't need it to be happy. I kinda wanted to cook for you first anyway."

Pacifica's smile widened slightly. "I would enjoy that. Speaking of, Liho, I understand you divide your time on the surface with your home in Hawaii and in your team's base in Florida. I would enjoy seeing these places."

Liho brightened more at that. "Yeah! I gotta show you North shore, and my friends gotta meet you too!"

"I met them in passing when you accepted them as your brothers and sisters in salt. More thorough introductions would be fun. I am actually attending classes in the same school as your Salt Brother." Pacifica said. She would be the first Atlantean noble to receive a surface education, and hoped to take what she learned back to Atlantis, to give surfacers a chance to learn in Atlantis. The logistics of that one might turn out to be difficult though.

"Yeah, that's awesome. He and his girlfr, err, fiancée, they both do the job. Good people, I love them both. I bet they always be there if you need something." Liho said, feeling better about things. Pacifica wasn't looking for arm candy, she seemed to really want a friend and companion. Even if they weren't compatible, he could still be cool with her, she was easy to be cool with.

"Lady Pacifica! Guardsman Koa!" An Atlantean page said, swimming not far away from them and looking around. "King Orin requests your presence!"

"We can talk later, but I enjoyed this Liho." Pacifica said, and placed a small kiss on Liho, leaving him blushing.


	19. Chapter 19

February 17th  
Themyscira  
1200 Amazonian Reckoning

It was a few hours later when a knock came at the door to Barbara and Deke's guest room. She shot a quick glance at him, so he reached out and tapped the mind behind the door. "Legit." He said, quickly vetting the Amazon waiting to be answered.

Barbara opened the door, to see a familiar face. Granted, she looked beaten to hell, but the face was familiar all the same. "Alexa, come in please." Barbara said, letting the Amazon in. She carried trays with her and set them down.

"Princess Diana said you spoke in my defense." Alexa said, almost timidly. "Many of us were told not to refer to you as sisters, but may I?"

Barbara glanced at her boy for a moment, catching his attention, before taking the girl's hand and pulling her in for a very well executed bro-hug. Well, sis-hug? Whatever. "I'd be honored Alexa. Now sit down."

Alexa frowned for a moment, she had other duties, but the entire palace was buzzing with the trial by combat later in the evening. Besides, Hippolyta's guard hadn't been too gentle in collecting her. "Thank you sister." She said, and took a seat on the ottoman near the lunch trays she'd delivered.

"Cowboy, you care to get this food out of the way?" Barbara asked. From the sofa, Deke made a gesture, and the trays lifted up before gently floating out of the way. Looking back to Alexa, she inspected the girl's injuries.

"You got knocked around pretty good, didn't you?" she asked, looking at some of the girl's bruises and making a face at them.

"I did, yes. But, I was complicit, I deserved them." Alexa argued, taking responsibility for what she'd done.

"You were conned, not complicit." Barbara argued, noticing a few nasty marks on the girl's stomach. She took a breath and looked Alexa dead in the eyes. "Mustang is in study to be a physician, and works as one. May he have permission to check you over?"

The terror on Alexa's face explained volumes. Meeting a male was exciting, learning they could be kind was refreshing, but being touched and _examined_ by one? "I should be well in a few days sister. I'm sure you and he have better things to do."

"Alexa, put it away for a minute. You've got some nasty damage in your lower abdomen, you might be slowly bleeding to death and not know it." Barbara said sternly. The girl could make up her own mind about being seen to, but refusing care because of who was giving it was plain foolish.

"What must be done?" Alexa said, looking over at her sister's betrothed. He was getting a kit from one of his bags, and carried it over to the ottoman.

"Sit there, take a few breaths when I ask, and don't worry." Deke said gently. He dug into his kit and pulled out his stethoscope, tossing it around his neck, and then produced a small arm band and some kind of wand.

"Is that a thermometer?" Alexa asked, pointing to the wand. She'd read about them, but had never seen one.

"Yes it is," Deke said, using the temporal thermometer to get a very quick reading. "No fever, that's a good sign." He said, and clasped the end of the stethoscope in his hands, trying to warm it.

Still, Alexa shivered at the touch of the metal on her skin. "Nothing sounds out of place." He said after listening to her abdomen. "Alexa, can you tell me how bad your pain is on a scale of one to ten? It's very important that you're honest with me."

She frowned. An Amazon didn't feel pain. Even though she was a scholar, she'd trained to become quite handy with spear and shield. "Perhaps a six." She finally said.

"Okay, no internal bleeding then. Were you struck in the head?" he asked, pulling out a tiny light.

"No." She said, though he blinded her anyway, flashing the light in her eyes.

"One last thing." Deke said, and stepped away from her. He shifted his perceptions to check his work, ensuring he hadn't missed anything, trying to understand her body's natural rhythm and flow. Nothing seemed dangerously out of place. "Yeah, just a good old fashioned ass whoopin." He said, calling that his official diagnosis.

Alexa blinked a moment. "Sister, please, accept my apologies for Andromache. Their words were unfair and unkind, and their behavior unacceptable." She said to Barbara. "Mustang, I thank you for your help."

"All I did was make sure you didn't get yourself dead on accident." Deke said with a shrug and pulled out some packets from his kit. "One packet after every meal until they're gone." He said, offering her ibuprofen. "Take one now though, so I can make sure you're not allergic."

"Amazons have no allergies. It was a blessing of Hera." Alexa said, inspecting the package. She tore it open where it was designated and saw two little brown pills. Just like the books. She took them with a drink of water and swallowed, making a face at the taste of them.

"Kinda nasty, just drink more water and you'll never notice it. And take it easy for a couple of days." He said, putting his kit away.

"Can we speak with Tigress later?" Barbara asked, opening the lid to one of the trays. Sliced meat, more of that white cheese her boy hated, grapes and olives. She was beginning to crave a cheeseburger and a shake.

"Yes, I can come and collect you in an hour." Alexa said, pulling herself up to her feet. "And thank you both, again."

"You're welcome Alexa." Barbara said kindly, and watched the girl leave. When she was alone with her boy, she swatted him on the arm.

"What'd I do? I was a perfect professional." He said in protest.

"Make sure she didn't get dead. You completely missed what just happened, didn't you?" Barbara asked, shaking her head at him.

"I guess I did." Deke said, scratching his head. "What was it?"

"You're the first man to touch an Amazon on Themyscira with her permission, that wasn't because of some shady plot. This is a big deal babe." Men.

An embarrassed look crossed Deke's face. "Yeah, that is kinda a big deal, huh?" he said, opening the lid on his tray and deciding it was more meat and grapes.

Barbara just shook her head and tossed a grape at him. "I love you, you big derpy goof."

"I love you too." Deke said, catching the grape telekinetically.

True to her word, Alexa had returned in an hour, looking a little bit better off. She guided them down to a lower level in another portion of the palace, and showed them to the door of the room where Artemis was preparing herself.

"I have to wait out here." Alexa said, and cast a look towards another of the guides, this one new, so she had no idea who was already in there.

Barbara nodded, and she and her boy entered the room. Jade sat there across from her sister, who, to her credit, seemed perfectly calm. There was something different about her too.

"So, not Tigress today?" Barbara said, noting her friend was in the classic green costume she'd first fought crime wearing.

"I thought Artemis was the more fitting name to wear here." She replied. "And I'm still more used to answering to it anyway."

"Cheshire." Barbara said, greeting the masked assassin.

"Batgirl." Cheshire replied. There was still some bad blood there, that was for sure. "I'll be on my way. Don't forget what I said sis, and hey, one other thing. Kick her ass from here to Cancun. That's where I'll be waiting for her to finish the job."

"Yeah yeah, scram sis." Artemis said, currently undoing her trick arrowheads and replacing them with the pointy ones. "Thanks for coming. About half of everyone's already been here."

"So we're not late." Barbara said, taking a look at the room. Small, stone walled, with a pair of braziers for light and warmth, necessary this deep beneath the palace. The place was more like a converted dungeon cell than it was some kind of sequestering room.

"No, you're not going to try and talk me into trading places are you?" Artemis said. "Because you're really the better fighter between us."

"Thank you." Barbara said kindly. "But no. Wonder Woman would have my ass before I could blink if I tried that. I'm just here because you're my friend."

"More'n that, actually." Deke drawled. "You buggin Babs all the time got us where we are."

"Which, thank you Cowboy, brings me to something we were talking about earlier. Artemis, I'd like you to be my maid of honor, so do us a favor and walk out of this later, okay?" Barbara said, taking a seat in front of the blonde girl.

Artemis looked up at that. "I accept. But I can't promise about walking out of this. Jade slipped through the palace and got a good look at Andromache while she was warming up. She's no joke."

"You got this Artemis." Barbara said. She'd been a bit worried ever since Wonder Woman had picked her to do this. She still wasn't over Wally, and in her own way, probably never would be. It had meant more reckless behavior from her in the past, and Barbara couldn't be sure she wouldn't try it again.

"I do, I know I do. I just don't know what I'll feel like afterwards." Artemis said, setting her arrows to the side. She'd been preparing her whole life to fight like this, but she was twenty two, this Andromache was over a thousand. That was a lot longer to practice.

"Well, I can work some mojo afterwards." Deke offered. "I'll even eat that nasty butt cheese to make sure I've got enough fuel."

Artemis made a face. "Butt cheese? Do I really wanna know?"

"I wish I didn't know about it." Deke said with a glum face.

"Look, we believe in you Artemis." Barbara said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'll even make you a deal. You take this woman down without a getting a bone broken, I'll get a piercing and let you pick where."

"Wow, okay, thanks for _that_ vote of confidence." Artemis said. Babs never made an offer like that without weighing the outcome. Still, she'd feed her friend those words. "But okay, and I know where already, so you just think about what you said."

* * *

"Shit." Barbara said, hours later and sitting in the arena seating, holding the wireless camera that had broadcast the trouncing Artemis had given Andromache. The Amazon, so confident in her ability to fight, had never stopped to consider she was facing an opponent who didn't fight like an Amazon. Arrogance was truly her undoing.

"What was that?" She heard across the earbud radio she was wearing. It was Dick, watching with the other men in the garden on a tablet.

"Sorry, still so surprised at that." Barbara said, covering up her surprise. She'd hoped to motivate Artemis, not eat her words. She really needed to stop making bets like that.

"No, that's the surprise." Aasha said, and pointed. Two Amazons had come to collect the defeated Andromache. To their surprise, she'd reared up, tossed them, and bull rushed Artemis.

The crowd booed at the dishonorable behavior, giving Artemis enough warning to dodge out of the way into a roll. She had an empty quiver and a broken bow, and Andromache had grabbed a fallen spear on her way.

Hoping she hadn't had to go that far, Artemis reached around her back and produced a hilt. With a snap of her wrist, the collapsible sword her sister had given her sprang to full, giving her a chance to fend the Amazon off.

Not her preferred weapon, Artemis went immediately on the defensive, backing off and circling away from the furious Amazon. She'd had some training against spears, and knew to avoid getting hit with the butt end of the weapon as much as the sharp end, but Andromache was more than capable of getting a spear past a sword.

After a few blocked strikes, Artemis tossed the weapon aside, and went pure hand to hand, and waited on her opening. Dodging was wearing her out further than she already was, but her conditioning was excellent, she just hoped it'd hold out.

"Whore to man's world." Andromache spat, trying to rile her opponent up, to force a mistake.

"Whatever, when this is over, go make me a sandwich." Artemis cracked. The statement was foreign to Andromache, but the venom in which it was spoken translated well enough. Andromache snapped her spear out into a stab, and that was the opening Artemis needed.

Light on her feet, she slipped just to the side of Andromache's weapon, and closed the distance, whipping out a vicious kick to the woman's knee. Artemis was rewarded with the sound of bones crunching, but didn't celebrate, instead, Thai clenching her opponent and effectively vandalizing the woman's face with her knee.

Through blood and pain and shattered bones and teeth, Andromache had decided enough was enough. Her beauty was unimportant to her, but having some teeth which with to eat was. She raised a hand, signaling defeat, but with her previous deception, Artemis was taking no chances, instead, pushing her off and driving her forearm into the woman's jaw, triggering the nerve bundle known as the knockout button, and sending Andromache to the ground again.

The Amazons cheered for her, and Artemis stepped away to wave at her hosts, but her arms didn't seem to want to work after a moment. Growing numb in her limbs, she stumbled about and looked down, to see a small cut across her hip, so small a strip bandage or two would have done the job of closing it up. .

"Oh shit." She muttered as she stumbled away, trying desperately to remain on her feet.

In the stands, Barbara tapped M'gann, who was sitting on the other side of her. "Get us down there, now!"

"Yeah." M'gann said, and used her telekinetics to lift the two women and carry them as she soared over the arena.


	20. Chapter 20

February 18th  
Destin Florida  
1525 CST

"Recognize Batgirl Bee One Six." The Zeta system announced. Aasha looked over with a smile and watched Barbara materialize. They'd planned for this evening several days ago, and the very best fortune had smiled on them at almost that exact moment.

"Love you babe, gotta go save Russia!" Deke said, dashing past his fiancée, taking only long enough to plant a kiss on her before keying in his Zeta access for Moscow.

"Love you too!" She called out after him, and watched him disappear. Turning to Aasha, who was sitting on the couch, she shook her head. "I hope he realizes his zipper is undone before he saves Russia."

"He's too sweet to not have faults." Aasha said, turning on the television. Barbara joined her, and they sat and watched as live feed from St. Petersburg was up on GBS. A few hours ago, NORAD had informed the Russian government about a meteor strike that had the potential to level the city and its surrounding area. Superman had of course volunteered, but Captain Atom had managed to talk him down, asking him to wait as backup in case someone newer couldn't handle it.

That newer someone was Mustang. He or Fractal were the two made to handle the problem, but since Fractal couldn't fly without first taking over some kind of aircraft, it had fallen to Mustang. "First big profile thing for him." Barbara said, feeling a few butterflies in her stomach. "I hope this works out and Superman doesn't have to step in."

"Me too. Maybe next time, we can all get called out, instead of one or two at a time." Aasha said. "Not that I'm hoping for some kind of horrible disaster."

"Of course not. Oh, Artemis is awake and moving around. She should be out and around tomorrow or later today." Barbara said, trying work out the time delay on the television versus her boy's flight speed and the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

"That's wonderful!" Aasha said, offering Barbara a peanut butter cup. When the redhead politely declined, she unfolded part of the wrapper and nibbled on it delicately. "I'm spoiling my dinner I think."

"You are, but I'm not going to judge you on it." Barbara said. "Did you get Wonder Woman's e-mail?"

"Yes, and I'm quite curious what _that_ meeting is going to be about. I have the feeling Themyscira isn't quite where Queen Hippolyta wants it to be." Aasha said, scooting closer to Barbara ever so slowly.

"I should say not. Did you know at least three different Amazons assumed Deke was my property?" Barbara said, resting her arm casually on the back of the couch. Aasha wasn't fooling anyone. "One was really sweet though, I adored her."

"Oh?" Aasha asked, slipping under Barbara's arm and just cuddling up into her. "Tell me about her."

"Jealous much?" Barbara said, putting her arm around Aasha and cuddling back. Her boy had a few more minutes to get into position. If the meteor broke up beforehand though, it was going to be all hands on deck.

"You know that I am." Aasha said, inhaling deeply of Barbara's wildflower perfume. She wasn't a flower scent kind of girl, so it wasn't something she was used to smelling, so every time, it made her smile.

"Don't be. She was a sweetheart but no competition. I'm way too picky with women." Barbara said, and while she said it in a lovingly flirtatious tone, it really was true. That she'd developed chemistry with Aasha was peculiar, as she hadn't met a woman she was properly sexually attracted to beforehand. She could certainly admire a woman's beauty, but actually getting her motor running was a different thing.

"You're too kind." Aasha said, but almost fell when Barbara perked up. "There he is." She added, sitting up and looking at the television.

"This is Cat Grant, reporting in New York. Earlier today NORAD, using near space telescopes, detected a meteor poised to hit Earth's atmosphere. Scientists calculated the trajectory of this stellar body and determined that St. Petersburg Russia would be right in the meteor's path. We're heading live to Natalia Federova."

The screen changed, showing the bright fireball in the sky. Heated to critical temperature by entry into Earth's atmosphere, the object threatened to detonate at any second, with a very unevacuated city of over five million people.

"This is Natalia Federova for GBS affiliate MNO. Seconds ago, an unrecognized member of the Justice League appeared over the city. Get them in the shot." The lovely blonde news anchor said in accented, but understandable English.

The camera panned up, and zoomed in as tight as the lens would allow. Sitting on a couch in Florida, Barbara and Aasha clapped and catcalled, but deep in Barbara's gut, she was terrified. She knew enough about astronomy and physics to know this whole thing could go pear shaped quick.

"We have no idea who this member of the Justice League is, or if this is who the League dispatched, but it seems like they are about to do something." Natalia said, and sure enough, up in the sky, Mustang's hands shot out, perhaps a bit too dramatically.

"Though, what that something is, I am, wait, Anatoly, the meteorite!" Natalia said, pointing just in the corner of the screen. The camera panned again, and zoomed out, showing that glowing ball of destruction still hurtling on at ballistic speed. "I think it's slowing down."

And it was, too slowly for anyone's tastes. A few miles outside the city, the man in blue waited, watching. Back in the United States, one very beautiful, and very much in love redhead, was biting her nails. "You got this baby." She said, feet drawn up beneath her and all but vibrating with nerves and excitement. Beside her, another girl, in her own kind of love, sat proudly.

In the sky, Mustang faltered a moment, the worried Russians beneath him not sure what was happening. The truth was, the damn thing had broken up inside his telekinetic grip, so he was forced to maintain his control as well as try to bleed speed off of it. He heard Superman's voice over the radio.

"You don't need me for this, but I'm here if you want to talk or something." He said, trying to sound completely chill about the whole life threatening situation. Chill was not Superman's strong suit.

"Look, it's slowing more!" Natalia said, pointing again. True enough, the dangerous chunk of space rock's descent had left the ballistic category and had dropped down to really fast. The media and onlookers couldn't see it, but sweat was pouring off of Mustang as he forced his telekinetic abilities to their absolute limit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the hero is descending." Natalia said, getting out of the way of the shot.

"C'mon, make us proud." Aasha said, gripping Barbara's hand.

"He already does." Barbara replied with a knowing smile. She was a damn good judge of potential.

"Prouder then." Aasha replied without looking, watching the television with rapt attention. For several minutes the scene was quiet and tense, the GBS ticker relaying more information about the meteorite, which was apparently about seventy seven percent iron. "You know what I mean."

"Yes I do." Barbara replied. The ice and the butterflies fighting over the real estate in her stomach both began to calm down as the meteorite began slowing down into speeds under supersonic.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, whoever this mystery hero is, they've done it." Natalia said a few moments later. In the sky, barely a hundred feet over the St. Petersburg skyline, the meteorite sat suspended in midair.

"That's our boy." Barbara cheered. Every criminal and psychopath she'd ever put away (a long and impressive list if she ever felt like boasting), he'd been cheering her on for. It was overdue for her to return the favor. When her phone chirped, she tore her eyes away to see that it was a text from Liho, horribly spelled but obviously excited.

Aasha's pinged as well, making the noises of an R series droid from Star Wars. "That's Fractal. Apparently, Captain Atom convinced the Russian science ministry to let him help with the meteor as well."

"That's awesome." Barbara said, texting her dad in the most surreptitious language possible. "Lives are saved, and we can learn something too."

"What's he doing?" Aasha asked, pointing to the screen. Floating still in midair, Mustang kept one hand out as a somatic focus to maintain grip on the cooling meteorite, while his other hand was digging in his pocket.

When Barbara's phone rang with the tone she assigned to encrypted calls, she realized exactly what he was doing. "Hello lover. Having fun up there?"

"You're watching?" Deke asked, his voice sounding tired and strained. Stopping that thing had taken every bit out of him, leaving him barely able to hold it, and himself aloft. He was excited though, and his heart was swelling knowing his love was seeing him on the television.

"Of course silly, now what do you need? I don't want you to fall." Barbara said, finally seeing him dialing his phone. The newscaster even pointed out that he was contacting someone, though she erroneously assumed he was contacting the League to inform them that the disaster was averted.

"How do you say hello and thank you in Russian?" he asked, the sweat on his face beginning to freeze in the icy February air in Russia.

"Uhm," Barbara began. Her Russian wasn't the best, and she rarely used it. "Use Privyet, it's like their howdy. Thank you is spasiba." She said, saying it slowly and carefully annunciating to make sure he said it correctly. "Now land before you fall and don't mug for the cameras, you're better than that."

"Thanks babe, love you!" He said, and hung up. On the screen, she saw him put his phone in his pocket a moment later, thanks to the transmission delay, and begin descending to the large square below, where several members of Russian police and military were keeping people back, and members of the science ministry were waiting excitedly to examine the meteorite.

"He'll be busy a while, you ready to get started?" Barbara said, looking at Aasha. They had plans, and big ones at that.

"I am." Aasha said a bit bashfully. Babs had asked her if she was camera shy, to which she'd replied rather quickly that she wasn't, but the idea that she might be less than dressed for whatever pictures Babs was planning had begun nagging her a little. "Are we shooting naked pictures though?"

"Only if you want." Barbara said kindly.

"We'll see then." Aasha said and slipped off the couch. "I _did_ kind of work myself up to going nude after all."

"You're gorgeous either way." Barbara said honestly. "So let's get you some proof I'm right."

The two women went to Aasha's bedroom, which she'd spent some time really tidying up. There were several outfits laid out carefully on the bed, and a tripod and camera set up in the corner. "You look, uhm, prepared." Barbara said, noticing the outfits.

"Ta for that. I wasn't sure what you had in mind so I gathered a few." Aasha said, slipping out of her jeans and shirt. She winked at Barbara and began trying to make up her mind on what to wear.

"I see you went for some lingerie too." Barbara said, running her fingers across a sheer black number. "Someone's feeling feisty."

Aasha stopped trying to make her mind up and looked at her redheaded friend. "Can I be honest a moment?" she asked.

"I kinda hope you're always honest with me." Barbara said.

"I'm kind of tired of being cute. Look, there's Aasha, all of four foot nine and not even a hundred pounds, she's so tiny and cute. I don't want to be cute sometimes, so yes, I'm feeling feisty. I'm a woman and I'll bloody well be sexual when I want." Aasha said, snapping more than she might have meant to. The uncomfortable look on Barbara's face spoke plenty too.

"Oh, not you." Aasha added, stammering around herself as she tried to explain things to Barbara. "I, well, I sort of started trying online dating, and every message I get, it's some tosser telling me how adorable I am, or how cute. I get the feeling I can only be myself around you and Deke, at least, as far as sex is concerned."

Barbara put a hand on Aasha's arm, and smiled at her. "Then be yourself. Call this some boudoir therapy and show us who you really are. Let's see what's really under there. I bet letting her out will help too."

"You've seen the real me Babs. A few times. You've felt her too." Aasha reminded her. One instance a few months ago came to mind, it was her and Babs alone one night while Deke was pulling an all-nighter at the clinic. They'd been watching some trashy television and one thing had led to another, but she'd been in a mood, and Babs was perfectly willing to indulge her, which had led to an extremely fun evening.

"And my life is richer for it, but these aren't for me. They aren't for Deke either really. This is for you. We're just getting to enjoy it too." Barbara said, offering Aasha the lingerie, wisely not asking where she was able to order it so small.

"You know what, you're right." Aasha said, slipping out of her bra and panties and getting into her lingerie. "Let's take some dirty pictures."

"I was thinking more tastefully racy, but hey, you're the boss." Barbara said, checking out the rather impressive camera Aasha owned. Bruce had given her one of his old ones when he upgraded, and that one was a nice piece of equipment, but Aasha, a double major in art and art history, had apparently spent an entire disbursement check on a truly top of the line model.

"Hey Aasha, if we've got time, you think we could trade places?" Barabra said, holding up Aasha's iPod.

"Go for it," Aasha said, pointing to her stereo. "And I would love to take some pictures of you. I've been wanting to for a while now."

Barbara plugged Aasha's iPod in and looked through her playlists, trying to find a clue as to what would fit the mood. "All you had to do was ask. I would have said yes in a heartbeat."

"That's settled then." Aasha said, readjusting her breasts into her bra and pulling up the matching lacy thong. She was pleased to hear her naughty thoughts playlist playing; glad Barbara had taken the time to look.

Once she rolled her stockings on, she sat at her vanity and started applying makeup. Barbara leaned over and watched, and when Aasha pouted her lips to put some lipstick on, she stole a kiss from her, nibbling her bottom lip when she pulled away. "It helps the look if you're turned on." She explained.


	21. Chapter 21 (Lemony Yellow)

February 18th  
Destin Florida  
1845 CST

"Recognize Mustang E Zero Three." The Zeta tubes announced. Wiped out beyond all measure, Deke stepped into the apparently empty Hacienda and immediately turned towards the locker room. The warmth of the place immediately flooded his body, driving away the bitter Russian chill. The new long rider coat Barbara had given him had done a remarkable job of keeping him well insulated and looking cool as hell, but there was cold, and there was _cold_.

He tossed his coat and hat on his hooks just inside the locker room, and sat down to unlace his boots when his phone chimed. He dug it out of his pocket and saw that it was an email from Barbara. He opened it up and had to immediately pick his jaw up from the floor.

A series of pictures were attached; pictures of Aasha in some lacy black lingerie, though as the series progressed, she was wearing less and less of it. After that, it was his Babs, who had followed suit in undressing. All he could do was sit there a moment and blink, his brain unable to process everything with all of his blood rushing elsewhere.

"Oh wow." He muttered when his phone chimed again; another email, another attachment, this one a video.

Before hitting play, he shucked his boots and clothes, sitting on the locker room bench in his underwear. When he hit play, he was glad he'd undressed.

The video started with Aasha and Babs lying on the bed, giggling and making faces at the camera, both of them naked as the day they were born, but it very quickly devolved into something a lot less innocent and playful.

Slowly, he removed his shorts and took hold of himself, performing a little 'maintenance' at the sight of his love and her girlfriend having themselves an apparently exciting time with each other.

On his phone, they were playing with one another, seemingly content to do just that, play. There was plenty of wonderful noise from them, but it didn't seem like they were in any rush to get to the end. After a couple of minutes of this, Barbara withdrew her finger from Aasha's slit, sucked it clean, and smiled at the camera.

"Hurry up and get your shower over with Cowboy." She said with a seductive impatience. Stopping his own self-pleasure, Deke stood up and rushed into the shower stall, wasting no time in washing himself up.

While he was in there, a still-nude Barbara, who'd been sitting on her feet on one of the toilets, let herself down. Silently, she padded across the locker room and stole his clothes, leaving him only a towel. Across from her, at the exit, Aasha was waiting, and watching, barely stifling a giggle.

"We don't have much time." Barbara said, quickly deleting her emails and erasing all of the temp data from his phone.

"Then let's hurry, I'm bloody cold." Aasha complained, her nipples stiff enough to cut glass from the air temperature and not arousal, which would have been perfectly acceptable.

The two girls slipped into Deke's bed and covered up, warming themselves up in a more proactive manner. Barbara kissed Aasha, nibbling on her lips, as her fingers brushed the smaller woman's hair. Aasha giggled into her mouth and kissed her back, her small hands to the sides of Barbara's neck, under her jaw line.

Barbara murmured her approval as she scooted in closer to Aasha, bending her leg to give her something to grind on. Aasha obliged, wrapping her own legs around Barbara's, tangling herself up with her.

"Somebody's awfully wet." Barbara whispered into Aasha's ear while the girl was nibbling and kissing on her neck. The feeling of the girl's dew against her leg was turning her on pretty handily too, making her wish Aasha would reach her hands lower to find out for herself.

"Am I interrupting?" Deke asked from the doorway, his hair still wet and a towel wrapped around his waist. Suitably aroused his own self, he was poking out from the towel like a divining rod seeking water.

"Yes, now bugger off! I'm trying to have my way with your woman!" Aasha said; waving him away, but the laughter in her voice was impossible to conceal.

"Well, alright then. I'll just be in the living room." Deke said with a shrug, and leaned out of the doorway. He stopped when a bra flew across the room to land quite perfectly on his head.

"Get yourself back here Cowboy." Barbara commanded, tossing the blanket off of her and Aasha. Grinning, Deke turned back around and dropped his towel. The two girls rose and made room for him, and once he sat down, they tackled him fully onto the mattress.

"Awesome, I was getting cold." Deke said, wrapping both girls up in his arms in a hug. He was well prepared to get dirty sexy with the two of them, and he wasn't going to question it not happening on a birthday, but he wanted a close, warm moment before getting down to business.

"So are we." Aasha whispered into his ear. She squeaked when he grabbed her bum, but settled into it, enjoying his hand kneading the muscles in her behind. He did the same to Barbara, though her firm, round bottom was more than a handful for him, a wonderful byproduct of doing squats.

Barbara turned her head and kissed her boy, placing a hand on his cheek to get his attention. He kissed her deep, inhaling her scent as he did so. Aasha, looking for a little attention of her own, wiggled her bottom around and bent a knee, giving him access to her opening.

It was a pretty clear hint, and Deke took it, lightly stroking her entrance with his middle finger. The girl was extremely turned on, as it took one slow swipe with his fingertip to get it thoroughly soaked.

"Are you getting played with Aasha?" Barbara asked when she heard the other girl coo happily. Aasha nodded and smiled at her, and flicked her tongue out to tease her. Barbara slipped off the bed and walked around, gently moving her boy's hand out of the way. She flicked her tongue against Aasha's bottom, which caused a massive shiver, and goosebumps to form across her body.

Deke adjusted his position on the bed, swapping his head for his feet, and scooting around to bring his tongue to bear in the fight against Aasha not having a wonderful orgasm. She whimpered and exhaled in shuddering breath once he began lightly stroking her button with his tongue, while Barbara kept her attention a bit lower, seeing how well the two of them could set her off.

"My God you two." Aasha whimpered, unable to really function at the two unique but wonderful feelings assaulting her senses. Quickly, she felt the electricity building, shooting across her low abdomen and into her limbs. It cumulated quickly, owing to both Barbara and Deke's skill and enthusiasm, as well as their hands just touching her everywhere; Deke holding her leg up to grant better access and Barbara reaching around to tweak and pinch her nipples.

She bit her lip to stifle her squeal as her body began to shudder from involuntary spasms. Her two lovers slowed their pace gradually, keeping her sailing for as long as possible, leaving her just properly whelmed. Once she'd calmed, Deke and Barbara leaned over her hips and kissed one another, which engaged Aasha's thoughts wonderfully at the image of it.

"I suppose I've been a good girl." Aasha said, her breath still a little shaky. She rolled properly onto her back to watch her friends make out for several moments, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. That had actually become something of a game to the three of them. With two people, it was pretty clear, but adding a third party, trying to figure out who went where and did what was something a little more puzzling, but it was, at least, a fun puzzle.

And, it was a puzzle Deke solved by scooting off the bed, lightly pulling Aasha to the side to give Barbara room up there with her. "There, you two have some fun, I wanna try something." He said, and the look on his face was pure Barbara Gordon. He'd picked up her experimenting expression, the tip of his tongue pressed just against his top lip while his brow furrowed in thought.

"Don't threaten me with a good time." Barbara said, and switched herself around into a classic sixty nine with Aasha.

"And you said _I_ was wet." Aasha observed, immediately flicking her exceptionally long tongue out to trail across Barbara's petals. She gave a low moan of her own, and began returning the favor.

Deke waited a few minutes, until they were settled in with one another, in a good rhythm, before he began working. Instead of linking the three of them together as a switchboard of sorts, he instead psychically tangled the both of them together, and the effects were nothing short of impressive.

The girls had been toying and playing with each other, more than earnestly going at it, but once they became enmeshed with one another, it turned almost frenetic for a moment, whimpers and coos becoming full out moans and squeals.

Barbara, through shuddering breath, paused long enough to glance at her boy, who was sitting patiently on the side of the bed and enjoying the show. "You're the devil." She accused, and then bit her lip, exhaled hard, and went back to her task.

Beneath her, Aasha was having her own difficult time, trying to perform and enjoy at the same time, but the incredibly magnified feelings of pleasure kept getting in the way. Beside them, Deke just relaxed and enjoyed the spectacle of what he'd wrought.

Aasha flickered and fluttered the tip of her tongue against Barbara's button, but every time she did, she felt the same sensation in her own, and Barbara was experiencing the same thing, feeling her work on herself as well as Aasha's. Nearly in tears from the power of it, Barbara buckled down and just went at it on her girlfriend, diving in and doing her best to bring this torturous pleasure to a conclusion.

It was something Aasha could get behind, and slipped her tongue within Barbara, a tactic she saved for when her lover was wearing down and needed the release so she could rest. The two girls began moaning louder, and before long, the moans turned into screams. Finally, the dam burst, simultaneously, and there was a few seconds where both of them just grabbed onto the other and held on through a wave of pleasure more powerful than they'd ever had with one another.

Time stopped for the girls as fire gave way to ice, and an electric storm ripped through their bodies. Intertwined, the pair were shot out over space and flew at light speed before the collision, which seemed to go on forever.

"Holy shit!" Barbara screamed out, her eyes shut tight as it washed through her, leaving her senseless and numb. Beneath her, Aasha could only wail, rising in pitch and holding for several seconds.

It lasted for nearly five minutes, the intense pleasure wrecking the two girls by the time it was over. Barbara rolled off of Aasha and laid there, panting and shivering, while Aasha hugged herself tight and rode off the wave of muscle spasms. Deke reached a hand out to brush Barbara on the leg, but she swatted at his hand.

"Don't touch me yet!" she said, still shivering. Inhaling slowly, Deke began slowly unraveling the absolute mess the entanglement of the two women had become. Each 'strand' that came loose helped the girls to calm down more, and it became easier and easier to unravel the two of them.

"So, that was inelegant. I could probably make that happen a whole lot cleaner and it wouldn't be so rough on you." Deke said, risking touching Barbara again. This time, she welcomed his touch, though she still seemed absolutely wrecked.

"Maybe much later please?" Barbara said, rolling over onto her side. She put a hand on his chest, and pushed him down so she could lay down with him. Aasha curled up on the other side, and began wrapping her legs around one of his.

"Sure." Deke obliged. "So, uh, are you two finished?"

"Bloody hell I'm not sure I'm still alive." Aasha said. "But give me a little while and we'll see."

"What she said." Barbara replied, though she slid up her boy's body and began kissing him, the taste of Aasha's dew mixing in their mouths. He couldn't control the reflexive twitches of his shaft as they kissed, which became something of a task when Aasha started giggling at it.

"You know, laughing at it isn't the best way to keep things warm in the bedroom." Barbara said after a moment.

"There is that." Aasha said, and slid down Deke's leg, bringing her face to proverbial face with his shaft. After deciding that she might be okay to keep going, she began lazily licking him, which caused him to shudder and moan.

"Okay, I figured you out Cowboy." Barbara said, slipping down the other side of his body to join Aasha. "You think we're so competitive, we've got to give what we just got. I know how you think."

"Well, no." Deke said as he relaxed under Aasha's attention. "But I won't stop you either." He added, but that was as far as his speech could function before Barbara began kissing and licking up the side of his shaft to accompany Aasha.

The girls traded devilish looks with one another as they teased him, taking turns actually taking him into their mouths to suck and bob for a while, while the other would use her tongue to keep things more interesting, occasionally casting glances up towards him as well.

Feeling almost drunk from it, he only kind of noticed when one of them stopped. It was enough to get him to look up, however, and watch his love settle herself over him. Aasha guided him into her, and she slid down on him with an easy, sensual grace.

Barbara leaned backwards before she began slowly rocking on him. "No using your powers, promise?" she asked, upside down, and cooed as Aasha began flicking her tongue against her button.

"I promise." Deke said through a quiet groan. Aasha's tongue flittered lower on occasion, across his pair and the base of his shaft as Barbara rode him lazily. She was quite thoroughly satisfied already, and not really seeking another orgasm, instead making love for the fun of it.

Deke put his hands up against her shoulders to give her something stable to lean against and fell into a good rhythm with her. She slipped and slid over him, her entrance soaking wet, with Aasha's ministrations helping to keep her that way.

Barbara kept an easy pace, enjoying the feeling of fullness from him, and very much appreciating Aasha stimulating her as well. Her clit felt almost raw, however, so she had to brush the girl's hair with her fingertips to get her to back off from it before too long. To make up for it, Aasha slid her tongue up Barbara's abdomen, tickling her belly button before stopping to have some fun with her breasts. Her milky white skin was juxtaposed beautifully by Aasha's dark tan, as much as the size of her breasts when compared to Aasha's small hands.

It wasn't long though, before Barbara began edging closer to the cliff again, this time sweat beginning to bead on her back and chest as she rocked on her boy's shaft. More manageable, and controllable, this one struck her without near as much fanfare. Deke felt her internal muscles clench around him as she bit her finger and squeaked.

She rode through it, and slipped off of him after a moment, taking the time to return to showing him some attention with her lips and tongue, 'cleaning' his shaft of her own dew. "How do you want it Aasha?" Barbara asked once she'd released him from her mouth with a pop.

The small woman pondered that for a moment. Her legs were still far too tired to take control, so she laid down, sliding her left leg off the side, and bending her right leg at the knee. It couldn't get much simpler than that.

Happy to oblige, Deke sat up, rolled over, and got over top of her, laying the tip of his shaft at her entrance. She'd become accustomed enough that he didn't have to treat her like a Faberge egg, but he still needed to show some measure of care, so he entered her slowly, letting her relax into it.

Once he'd slid in to his full, her mouth open in a silent moan, he began working into her, keeping that same easy pace Barbara had set. She cooed softly as he stretched her, what once caused a stinging burn now more of a blissful ache. Barbara laid down next to her, kissing and nibbling on her neck and shoulders while her hand busied itself gently kneading her breasts.

Deke took hold of her legs and pulled them apart, allowing him to better steady himself. Babs was a wonderfully snug fit, Aasha was even more so, which meant every motion was hitting every one of his spots pretty well all at once.

"No powers." Barbara reminded him with a bewitching smile, as she slipped her hand down Aasha's stomach to playfully tease the girl's sex. Aasha continued cooing happily as he slowly drove into her, though when Deke's face took on something close to a grimace, she couldn't help but giggle.

"I think he's getting close. Do you want to finish with him?" Aasha asked. Barbara had let it slip once before that she was extremely fond of seeing her boy have his moment, and that she had grown to love feeling him splash her body with it.

"That's sweet of you to ask. Yes please." Barbara said politely, and rolled onto her back with a giggle. Deke withdrew from a very tired Aasha and scooted towards his love, sliding back into her easily. The two girls, while sharing certain characteristics, were so much night and day. Aasha was like a vice, gripping him perhaps too tightly. Babs was a velvet glove, however, making it seem to him like they were physically made for each other.

The instant he was fully within her, he felt his body wanting to go off. He couldn't though, that would have been a pure embarrassment, so he blinked hard through it a moment, and began slowly pumping into her, at least getting somewhere before it happened. To keep his focus, he took a moment to slide his hands down her thighs and put his hands behind her knees, bringing her bottom up an inch or so, before driving into her.

Barbara hummed and moaned softly as she felt him sliding rather deeply into her. His face grew, well, derpy, there was no better way for her to describe it, after maybe a minute, and she could feel his muscles beginning to clench. "Go for it babe." She encouraged, wiggling her bottom on him, enjoying the sound of her boy's breath growing ragged because of her body.

When it hit, it hit, causing Deke to pull out quickly and fire off uncontrollably. Lying next to her, Aasha actually took the first spurt across her shoulder, though the rest fell across Barbara's stomach and lower abs.

"Damn." Deke muttered, shaking his head loose from the fog. When Aasha began using her tongue to clean Barbara up, he realized again just what kind of a lucky sumbitch he was.


	22. Chapter 22

February 20th  
The Watchtower  
2100 Zulu

Wonder Woman paced in front of the assembled crew of heroes. Her words weren't easy to say, but they needed said. With a heavy sigh, she raised her hands to quiet the low murmur, and spoke.

"The Cult of Apokalips was present on Themyscira centuries ago, before the Amazons were sequestered away from the outside world. It was pure happenstance that Queen Hippolyta chose our actions against them as an opportunity to try and foster a new sense of openness. It nearly cost Artemis her life, and for some, a fate potentially just as bad. I speak for Queen Hippolyta when those affected and wronged by the women of the Cult of Apokalips are owed the sincerest apologies that Themyscira can offer. "

"There is more, however, that perhaps has more gravity, though, it carries much less negativity. It would have been easy for many of you to simply choose to do what you've always done, and go about taking care of business as you saw fit, but that didn't occur. In addition to that, Mustang, Blue Beetle, Fractal, Red Arrow and Arsenal, Longshadow, Guardian, and Beast Boy, your actions in the spirit of cooperation went beyond what anyone expected. These actions, and you know exactly what you did, left a lasting impression on my sisters among Themyscira."

Finally taking on a more serene look, Wonder Woman continued. "It was enough to spur the leadership of Themyscira into agreement. All of the men who set foot on the island, thanks to your actions, will henceforth be referred to as brethren. I should mention, neither Superman, nor Batman, hold this distinct honor."

A loud applause rippled through the crowd, and a dull roar followed, people asking the ones singled out questions about what they'd done. Deke admitted to offering medical assistance to Alexa, Jaime had simply warned a house servant to mind her step before she fell. Fractal had repaired a wagon which had broken down while delivering food the day they left, and Mal had given his guide a few books. These were simple things, things taken for granted, but it was a reminder that no action so small carried no weight.

"Artemis, if you would also come up here." Wonder Woman requested, giving the assembly some time to get it out of their systems. The blonde archer got up from her seat, still moving with a bit of a hitch in her step, and approached Diana.

She offered Artemis a bow. Her broken bow to be exact, only, it wasn't so broken any more. Diana leaned in, and whispered into the woman's ear. "My mother has the audience of the Gods. When I told her your story, she saw it necessary to commune with Hermes. I don't think I need to explain the significance of that to you."

Artemis sniffled and nodded in understanding. "He has placed his blessing on your bow so that it will never break again. I'm told your namesake, as well as her brother, and Ares, are somewhat offended that he chose to do so, but that isn't a mortal's affair."

"Thank you." Artemis said, blinking a tear away. The crowd obviously wanted to know what happened, with Superboy getting nagged to tell people around him what he'd heard. Conner just played dumb and ignored them.

"You're welcome." Wonder Woman said, and offered her a hand back down the stairs. Once Artemis was seated, she looked over the assembly. "Thank you for coming, and again, thank you for your help, and your willingness to show my sisters that the world they left is not the world they now inhabit."

A few minutes later, Deke and Barbara were standing by the refreshment table, sipping at some punch. "I love these. None of the League like talking that much, and they always have the best snacks." He said to her.

"Yeah, I just wish you didn't have to skip your shift at the clinic for it. Doctor Thompkins is an amazing woman, but her patience only goes so far, no matter what some certain, very important donors have to say." Barbara replied, nibbling on a granola square.

"I know what you mean." Deke said, remembering the massive lecture she'd given him about balancing lives, both his and others. "Hey, here comes Artemis." He said, nodding towards her.

Barbara turned and smiled at her friend, who was walking towards them with a peculiar face. It was easy to see she'd had a quick cry, over what, she would probably tell Barbara later, but there was more to it.

"You're not going to welch after I nearly die from hemlock poisoning, are you?" She said flat out.

"No, Artemis, I'm not." Barbara said with a sigh. "You know I'll make good, but you should be resting now. You can text me the details."

"I've been resting. You, big man, how'm I doing?" She asked, leveling her gaze at Deke, who almost choked on his cookie at being put in the middle of this.

"I uhm, er, well, that is, uh." He stammered, seeing his love's ocean blue eyes lay across him, trying desperately to avoid bringing a storm to them. "I ain't got no dog in this fight." He finally spat out, holding his hands up.

"Chickenshit." Artemis teased. "I'm heading back out to Palo Alto tonight anyway," Artemis said, turning towards Barbara. "So I'm okay enough to invite you to come with me tonight so you can pay up."

"Well, you heard it, I'm not going to back out." Barbara said to Deke, still wishing she'd just kept her mouth shut. "See you tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, that's cool, I'm going to try and knock out the rest of my shift and probably crash, and I have classes tomorrow too." Deke said, which meant he didn't have to burn the candle at both ends trying to be good company while being a zombie.

February 20th  
Palo Alto California  
1417 PST

"This Zeta lag is lethal." Barbara said, feeling perfectly comfortable in the late winter of southern California. It was easily twenty degrees warmer than Gotham was, meaning she was perfectly content with a light jacket instead of her thick wool peacoat. The weather wasn't enough to help her consolidate her brain's misunderstanding of time though. She and Deke had made the mad dash to get to the Hacienda, meet the movers, get changed into costume, and then hop up to the Watchtower at around four in the evening. It was now two o'clock, and that was after spending a couple of hours in space, where the sun had risen twice by their elevated perspective and speed.

"Yeah, I never got used to it." Artemis said, though her face was glum as she walked down the street of the college town. "So, you wanted me to be your maid of honor?"

"I did." Barbara answered, worried about her friend. She'd never, _ever_ say she needed someone for anything, so Barbara was beginning to wonder if this was about the bet she'd made or not. "I narrowed it down to between you, Cassie, and Zee, and honestly, it was always going to be you."

"Thanks Red." Artemis said, perking up a little. "I promise not to throw oiled up man strippers at you for a bachelorette party. I'll just keep them for myself." Barbara showed her the tip of her tongue, which elicited a snicker. "No, it's cool, I'll think of something fun. Between you and me though, was it because I don't have powers either?"

"No, actually, it's because I've known you the longest, outside of Bette maybe, but her, I can't trust so much around everyone else. So, call it that I trust you the most." Barbara said, eying the different shops on the main drag.

"Hey, I'll take it." Artemis said, and pointed towards a hole-in-the-wall looking place with a classical looking sign that simply advertised 'Tattoos and Piercings. You pick it, we stick it.' Grinning, she took Barbara's hand, and pulled the hesitant redhead along, across the street, and into the building.

Once inside, rock music greeted their ears, and the smell of disinfectant tickled their noses. The floors looked like they'd been laid earlier that day, and the walls were pristine, covered only in framed pieces of tattoo flash and satisfied customers showing off their work.

"Not what I expected." Barbara said, looking around the place. She suddenly felt a little less hesitant about the whole situation. "I'm glad I sold an article the other day though."

"We're not that expensive." A small, black haired girl in a do-rag said, walking up to them. She looked like the love child of a chola and a skater, with tattoo sleeves up both arms, and spider bite lip piercings. "But we're the cleanest place in town, and that doesn't cost extra."

"Barbara, meet Maria." Artemis said. "She and I went to school together."

"Arty makes it sound like I graduated or something. This is Barbara, right?" Marie said, walking the two women back into her studio.

"I hope whatever she said is good." Barbara said, eyeing Artemis for any look of mischief. There wasn't any, which was quite a relief.

"Nothing but lies I'm sure." Marie said, pulling up a rolling chair and sitting in it backwards. "So, what am I sticking and where am I sticking it? Momma's gotta eat."

Artemis shook her head at the simple ease Marie had with her visitors. She deplored the term customers, because it felt like she was whoring herself. Anyone can collect money off the nightstand, it took a real soul to make people happy they left it there. "So, my friend here, she decided to bet against me."

"I did not." Barbara protested. "I just, well, I might have overstepped it when I was trying to motivate you."

"Ah, lost bet tattoos, at least you've got the stones to woman up to it." Marie said. "Arty picking it?"

"Yeah, but it's a piercing gig for you, not a tattoo, she's already got those." Artemis said. "I do get to pick it though."

"Oh good." Marie said, pulling her kit over. "So, what're we doing?"

"Yeah Artemis, what are we doing?" Barbara said, the gravity of the situation beginning to really hit her. Her suit, despite being made from the ground up, for her, still chafed sometimes, meaning a piercing in the wrong spot could quickly become uncomfortable or worse.

"Show me them titties Red. You're getting your nipples pierced." Artemis said with a broad, almost evil grin. The request sent ice down Barbara's spine. She was tough, and she knew it. She'd faced down some of the worst this world and the next could throw at her, but the suddenness of it all left her feeling somehow shy and self-conscious.

"Hey, nipples are always BOGO here." Marie said. "If you wanna go lopsided, that's up to you, but it drives me up the wall. Anyway, it'll run you sixty bucks for work and basic jewelry, if you want something higher end, it'll cost more, but if I were you, I'd start basic in case you hate it or have to remove it for whatever reason."

"I'm a woman of my word. Go with the basics for now." Barbara said, and started pulling her shirt up. Once done, she unclasped her bra and sat down in the chair, the cold vinyl bringing goosebumps to her skin, and causing her nipples to stiffen.

"Hey, makes my job easier." Marie said while gloving up, and began setting out what she was going to need to get the job done. "So, no judgement at all, but how much did you pay for those?"

"Nothing." Barbara said, confused. "I grew them myself. Do they look fake or something?"

"No, but I can think of several of my visitors who paid plenty and didn't get it half that good. Your man know how lucky he is? Or woman, whatever, no judgement." Marie said, pointing to Barbara's engagement ring.

"Man, and yes, he does, on a daily basis." Barbara said, simultaneously comforted by the near redundant sanitation Marie went through, and scared that she was about to voluntarily get needles in her nipples.

"When you let him talk." Artemis snorted, referring to him avoiding getting involved in their discussion.

"I'm nothing like that and you know it." Barbara retorted tartly. She shivered as Marie applied antiseptic cream to the work area, and began intentional breathing to calm herself. Excitement was beginning to win over though, as butterflies began flittering about in her stomach.

"Uh huh. Did you let him keep his balls when you came here?" Artemis teased, watching Marie take two fourteen gauge needles out of their packaging and set a pair of small corks next to them.

"Artemis, we're not having this discussion when I'm about to geeeeeoooooah my God!" Barbara squeaked once the first needle went through. Once the initial shock was over, she found that it didn't hurt near as much as she was expecting it would have, though the image of a needle sticking through it was oddly hilarious.

"Thanks for the distraction." Marie said to Artemis, who snickered and leaned against the wall. "You good for leftie?"

"Yeah, do it." Barbara said, invigorated by it now that it was happening. "I should have done this a long time ago."

"Hey, you went for tatts first, I can't fault that." Marie said, and repeated the process for Barbara's left nipple. "So, tell me about that lace piece."

Barbara eyed her suspiciously but decided to just go with it. "Well, I wanted a piece on my hip, since I could keep it covered for work without any problems. I spent about a year and a half making up my mind on the lace pattern; I chose it since it's feminine without being girly." Barbara said, and just sort of absently watched Marie slide the needle through. It pinched, for sure, but knowing what to expect, it wasn't anything horrible.

"I think it looks good on you." Marie said, changed her gloves, and then pulled the needles through, followed by the jewelry. She fastened the beads into the rings, and pointed Barbara towards the full length mirror on the wall. "And so do these."

Standing in front of the mirror, Barbara bounced a little and wiggled her shoulders with a huge smile on her face. "Best bet I ever lost." She said, a little giddy.

"So, here's a pamphlet on aftercare," Marie said, handing Barbara a tri-fold. "But, basic need to know is, keep them clean, don't fiddle with them, and tell your mister to keep his hands to himself for a couple of days to let them heal."

"Fair enough." Barbara said, and pulled a few twenties out of her pocket. "Here's your sixty plus a tip."

"Hey, beer money!" Marie said happily. She pocketed the sixty and tucked the other twenty into her bra. "You need anything else, come see me, I'm great with faces, I'll remember you. Here's my card, by the way." She added, handing Barbara a rather artistically impressive business card.


	23. Chapter 23

February 21st  
Gotham City  
0235 EST

Barbara slipped into her apartment, slightly buzzed from one glass of wine too many with Artemis. They'd sat up talking for a while, reminding Barbara of when they'd lost Jason, and again, when they lost Wally. At least Jason had found his way back, fell magic it might have been. Artemis hadn't had such good luck, despite the efforts she and Dick had made.

Her nipples had started into a dull ache that was survivable, but slightly annoying, so she tossed her shirt and bra, turned the thermostat up a couple of degrees, and set about cleaning them. She smiled softly at her boy, snoring in the bedroom, and decided this was worth waking him up for, if for no better reason than to make sure he knew to be careful for a few days.

Padding silently into their room, she slipped out of her jeans and grabbed one of her 'liberated' shirts, tossing it over her arm and slipping into a seated position on the bed. Like so many she knew and loved, his life was marred by tragedy and the stress of saving lives, so she adored seeing her boy sleeping peacefully. She hated the idea of waking him from his sleep, so she did so as gently as possible, stroking his wild mane of dishwater blonde hair.

He murmured something at her and smiled reflexively, but didn't fully wake. Feeling determined, Barbara leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, whispering to him. "Cowboy, can you wake up for a minute please?" she asked sweetly.

Deke snorted, and blinked. Barbara slid away gracefully; her boy had a habit of scrubbing his face with his hands when he first woke up, and she was quite in the way. It was a good thing she did too, because, well, she was right. He did in fact wipe his face and sat up. "Hey beautiful, somethin' wrong?" he drawled.

"No, nothing's wrong." She said, still just as sweet. "But I thought you might want to see what happens when you lose a bet with Artemis."

"Yeah." He muttered sleepily, and made a gesture towards the corner lamp, giving the room just enough illumination to see without blinding himself. "Wow." He said after a moment. "You went and got your boobies did."

"Yeah, I did." Barbara said, running a hand through her fiery red hair. "You like them?"

"You know, I really do. I think nipple rings are hot." He said with a sheepish smile.

"Why didn't you say anything before now?" Barbara asked, giggling at him leaning forward and inspecting them, rubbing his chin with one hand like some kind of Victorian investigator.

"I couldn't think of how to say it without it sounding like I was asking you to get it done." He said after a minute. "You know I ain't that kinda guy."

Barbara frowned for a minute at that. "Deke, honey, I know you're sleepy, but can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure, what'd I do?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to get fully alert.

There _that_ was. "You didn't do anything. Am I, well, domineering or something? Like, are you afraid to speak up?"

Deke looked at her like she was growing a cock out of her forehead. "No. Why are you asking me that?"

"Artemis was picking on me, and you know me, I'd normally dismiss it, but she has a habit of cutting straight to the heart of things." Barbara said. "I just don't want to be that kind of girl, especially after Themyscira."

"Babs, darlin, have I ever taken a forceful tone with you?" Deke asked, his puzzled expression growing soft and loving. "Like, when it's us, not when there's life on the line."

"Well, no, never." Barbara said, thinking back. He was always so agreeable and flexible with her.

"And if I did, how do you think you'd react? Honestly, not how you want to, but how you know in your heart you would." Deke continued, stroking her beautiful hair.

"Probably I'd listen, since it's not something you do, I'd figure it was really important to you." Barbara said, resting her head into his hand like a cat. She might accuse Aasha of behaving like one, but she had her moments too.

"There you go. If I need to use my big boy voice, I will. I just don't generally feel the need to is all. I wasn't afraid of speaking up earlier tonight, I just feel like I had no dog in it at all. That was between you two, not me." Deke said, leaning over and kissing his love on the temple.

"Okay, good." Barbara said, hating feeling insecure about anything. "I love you Cowboy."

"I love you too Batgirl." Deke said, and wrapped his hand around the back of her head before nuzzling noses and planting another kiss on her. "Now, you smell like a bottle of cabernet, so how about you get comfortable and get some sleep? We've got school tomorrow and you know how bad reds give you a headache."

"That's not subtle irony." Barbara said, agreeing with her boy. She liked an occasional glass or two of a red, but she was an easy victim to the wine headache. She slipped the almost offensively soft cotton tee shirt on, careful around her breasts, and curled up against her boy.

Like clockwork, she began feeling that all over tingle that she felt every time she and Deke shared a bed. She began wondering for a minute if he even realized he was doing it anymore, and then wondered if that's why her piercing artist asked if she'd payed for her breasts. That warranted further investigation.

But later, not now. Now was sleepy time, and she was very _very_ comfortable.

February 21st  
Gotham City  
1217 EST

Having just left his Pharmacology class, Deke pondered what to do with the next two and a half hours he had free. Barbara was in class, and wouldn't be able to have lunch with him. Nobody else he hung out with in Gotham was available either, leaving him wondering just what the hell to do next.

He walked down the hall of the Thomas Wayne building, struggling to determine his next course of action, when it bumped into him, almost literally. "S'cuse me." He drawled, not meaning to almost bowl the girl over.

"You are excused." She said, but placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are Deacon Mustang, are you not?"

That caught his attention pretty quickly. Happy the halls were empty, he turned around to really look at who he almost shoulder checked. Six foot three, bronze tan, blonde hair, and familiar as hell. "You're uh, Pacifica, is that right?" he asked, hoping that was her real given name.

"I am, yes." She said pleasantly enough. "You are Liho's Salt Brother?"

"Yeah, I am. " He said, looking a bit nervous. "Hey, so that's cool and all, but can we maybe not talk about this so public?"

"Oh, your betrothed wouldn't approve of our talking without chaperone?" Pacifica asked, genuinely curious. "I can wait."

"Nah, she's cool with me conversating with other people, it's more what we're talkin' about if you catch my drift." Deke said. "I try and keep this life separate."

"Oh certainly." Pacifica said. "Liho said you and your betrothed are kind, and to ask if you if I need help. Was he wrong?"

"Naw he ain't wrong." Deke said. "How's about we talk somewhere more secure though?"

* * *

"Thank you for welcoming me to your home." Pacifica said pleasantly. "I have no gift to offer, if you'll pardon me."

"Yeah, sure. You're pardoned. So, what'd you need help with?" Deke asked, breaking out lunch meat, cheese, and bread, and set about making himself a sandwich. Barbara had a certain hate-on for baloney, so he had to pick his battles on when he could have it, and now seemed perfect.

"I am unsure as to how I should proceed with Liho." Pacifica said, sitting like the most proper lady in all the world on one of the stools by the kitchenette bar. "I was hoping for advice."

Deke shrugged. "Liho's a simple cat. He don't need much to be happy. Probably all it'd take is showing him some common courtesy and respect."

"That, I have done." Pacifica said. "I more mean, if we are to, date, is it? If we are to date instead of court, where must I take him?"

"Oh wow, I dunno." Deke said, adding some potato chips to his sandwich before putting the top piece of bread on and smashing it down a bit. "We're sort of used to having to figure that part out and hope you enjoy it. Of course, the first date I ever had with my love was some Indian food she ordered. Or, if you define it another way, she asked me to go to a magic show with her. Really, I'm pretty terrible at date ideas, I let her do it."

"I think I see." Pacifica said politely. "Would your betrothed be a better authority on this matter then?"

Deke thought about that a minute, and set about making a second sandwich. Either he could be the good host, or he'd get to eat both of them, win/win. "Probably, to be honest. I gotta warn you, she's pretty protective of Liho though. He went above and beyond to make her feel welcome, and she doesn't forget like, anything, ever."

"Could you introduce us then? I would very much like to talk to her. Especially since I'm to complete my education here in Gotham. It would be nice to try and make friends." Pacifica said, unsure what she was being handed.

"It's a sandwich." Deke said, picking up on her curiosity. "Not exactly the healthiest thing out there, but if you're around Liho long enough, he'll have you eating spam sushi and loco moco, so you might wanna get used to it."

Pacifica took a small nibble off the corner and chewed it thoughtfully, trying to understand the different flavors. It wasn't terrible, but she didn't foresee herself ever ordering one. "May I return at another time to meet your betrothed?"

Deke pondered that for a minute. "I'll ask her. I try to keep my two lives separate. She's a lot more obsessive about it. I think it comes with answering straight to Batman."

"I see. How should I address her then? King Orin has prepared me, but perhaps not well enough." Pacifica said with a small frown.

"Honestly, that's up to her, I can't answer that." Deke said around a mouthful of sandwich. "You said Aquaman prepared you though? For what, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I was asked to aid Liho's team as well, and have been given information on all of you. I am, as of this weekend, a Mover." Pacifica said. Her watch chimed, causing her to frown. "Excuse me, I will be late to my final admissions meeting if I do not leave now."

"Okay, well, I'll talk to my better half later this evening." Deke said, checking to make sure he had enough time to finish eating and make it to his ethics class. Deciding to be a thoughtful host, he showed the Atlantean princess, or whatever she was, out the door politely.

Yeah, things were going to get messed up quick, and soon.

Taking his sandwich to the couch, he flicked the television on and surfed the stations until he got to cartoons, and ate his lunch quietly. Maddie was going to either detonate, or she was going to retreat back into the bitchy, all about me attitude she'd worn when everyone had first met her.

If she blew up, it was going to be on Liho. He was tough as hell, but Deke worried he couldn't handle an honest, emotional outburst, if that's the way Maddie went. It was just as much that she'd try to kick his ass, or Pacifica's, and if she was important enough that Aquaman told her who everyone was, she was probably powerful enough to wreak some havoc.

After a while, he took out his phone. Deke shot Barbara a text, detailing what had happened, before someone who knew her said he was walking off with the Atlantean student. He didn't expect a reply until later, but his phone chirped shortly after sending the message.

Her reply, which came much quicker than he was expecting, didn't arrive by phone. Instead, soft lips brushed his cheek, causing him to jerk and turn around to see her smiling face and bright blue eyes. "You really need to be more alert Cowboy." She admonished playfully.

"You caught me thinking. I thought you had class till one forty five though. If I'd known, I would've waited on you." He said, sliding over and picking his plate up so she could sit down.

"I didn't know either. We had a test today in programming. I finished it and bailed so we could spend some time together, though, I suppose you already had another girl over?" Barbara said, poking fun at him.

"Yeah, all she wanted me for was my body though. I felt like a piece of meat." He said, taking another bite of his sandwich. He chewed quickly, trying to get more words out, but Barbara shook her head at him.

"Chew that up before you choke silly." She scolded, slipping around sideways to relax. How he could go from life-saving badass superhero, to a five year old caveman was beyond her. "You said we should talk about that?"

Finally able to swallow, Deke nodded and took a sip of his juice. "Yeah, see, uhm, Aquaman said she was one of the Movers now."

"Does Captain Atom know this?" Barbara asked, slipping around on the couch to relax.

"I suppose so, but he ain't told us yet. I suppose we'll hear something Sunday when we have our monthly meeting." Deke said. He hated that Babs wasn't invited to them, though he understood. The team didn't invite the Movers or the Runaways to their official meetings.

Barbara waited until Deke set his empty plate down before maneuvering herself onto his lap, straddling him. "You still have another hour before your next class." She said coquettishly. "Would you like to make love to me?"

"I would love to." Deke said, his hands gripping her bottom and pulling her tightly to his body.


	24. Chapter 24

February 24th  
Destin Florida  
0830 CST

Deke's alarm woke him up, buzzing loudly. He'd since broken himself of the habit of wanting to crush alarm clocks, but he still wasn't in the most chipper mood. He hadn't gotten in from his shift at the clinic until almost two in the morning, and had to immediately lose an hour coming in to the Hacienda.

Sitting up, he grumbled and fussed, and slid out of bed. Without a care in the world, he stumbled into the locker room, where Maddie and Aasha were busy undressing for their own showers. "Mornin'." He said to them without a second glance.

"Fuck you too Mustang." Maddie said, sounding equally tired. Like him, she'd gotten in late the night before, after catching wind that the Haitians she'd put the pain on might have shifted business a little closer to home in Panama City.

"Yeah, fuck you brah. Why we fuckin' him?" Liho asked, walking out of the shower with one absurdly large towel wrapped around his waist, while he had another wrapped in a turban style on his head.

"Ask Daeva." Maddie said with a wicked smirk as she strolled casually into a shower stall.

"No, don't ask Daeva." Aasha said, heading to another stall and trying not to glance Deke's direction. She didn't need to give Maddie any more ammunition.

"Okay." Liho said agreeably. He sat down on the bench and began getting dressed in his usual board shorts and vest. "Who got breakfast today anyway?"

"I do." Maddie said, yelling out over the shower. "So someone call the Donut Hole and put in our usual order, and give them my card."

"Awesome. I'll get a couple gallons of milk too." Liho called out, and slipped his feet into his sandals.

They all completed their morning rituals, dressed in plain clothing, and gathered in the living space. Kristof was sitting there, scanning a tablet, looking more relaxed than usual. "Did you steal any of my weed Kris?" Maddie asked, sitting next to him on the sofa.

"No, just a very productive night last night. I've not slept that well in years." He replied. "Wait, you keep marijuana here?"

"Well, not at the moment, no." Maddie said with a shrug. "I'm kind of out, but that's not important right now. I like it when you're in a good mood before a meeting."

"Lady G, I absolutely love it when I'm in a good mood before a meeting." Kristof countered. "And this one promises to be particularly interesting. Also, Captain Atom sends his apologies as he'll be somewhat late. An extraterrestrial craft, well, it broke down for lack of a better term, on the side of our solar system. He and Martian Manhunter spent the better part of the last twelve hours rendering assistance."

"I don't even wanna know." Deke said, digging into the fridge and producing a couple packs of bacon. Part of their usual donut order involved maple glazed, and maple glazed demanded a crown of hog.

"I do. I bet it's exciting." Aasha said, casually painting her toes.

They chattered on like that for a little while, until Liho returned with the two large boxes of donuts from the best place to get them in Destin. Then, all conversation ceased and it turned into a near gladiatorial combat to get to their part of the order.

"Bacon!" Deke called out, setting the plate in the center of their table. The gathered heroes ate, carried on, and in general got over their morning blues. Deke still wished Babs could be a part of this, but he was secure in the knowledge that she was still asleep in their bed, wrapped up warm and comfortable.

Around nine thirty, the Zeta system recognized Captain Atom. The additional time for him to arrive had meant the team was able to straighten up just a little more, and the look on his face showed he noticed. "The place looks good." He said, walking up to his team. "Let's go ahead and get started, there's a lot to go over."

They all sat down, except Captain Atom. At nearly three quarters of a ton, he did serious damage to furniture, and he didn't exactly need it either. "Following the Themysciran incident, the League has taken a renewed look at things. I told all of you that you were being watched for potential membership, and now, that's become a lot more serious."

"This has also taught us that waiting on natural disasters is a waste of your time and abilities. From here on out, you'll be receiving the same kinds of missions the other team is handling." He continued. He let that sit in a moment, and was amused by his team's reactions, ranging from stunned silence from Daeva to barely restrained excitement from Godiva.

"To assist in this effort, the League has decided to assign some more members to this team. These people are just as capable as any of you, and will give you some flexibility in your mission profiles. Also, it means that there's adequate coverage on any mission, ensuring everyone's safety. Fractal." He said, pointing towards the team leader.

Kristof set a hologram emitter on the table, and synched his tablet to it. "Pacifica, a duchess of Atlantis. She recently completed her studies at the Conservatory of Magic in Atlantis, and is considered a close third in power behind Tempest and Queen Mera herself. We're all somewhat familiar with her." He said, with a hologram of the woman floating over the emitter to remind everyone who she was. Liho, obviously, needed no reminder.

"Shield Maiden." Kristof said, moving to the next dossier. The hologram showed a fierce looking redhead, armored in leather and chain, and wielding a shield and sword. "Expert combatant and weapons master. She also possesses above peak physical abilities, which should be near Godiva's. She also speaks a half dozen languages, and is a skilled blacksmith."

"Next is Scramble, a legitimate speedster. He was discovered two years ago by the second Kid Flash during a storm in the speed force which nearly eliminated Caracas from the map." The hologram showed a lean boy in a green and black, head to toe body suit. "The Flash himself has spent some time training him, and now feels he's ready to give the life a shot. It should be noted, however, that Scramble is deaf. Mustang, you and I know sign language, though Scramble is perfectly capable of reading lips, and keeps a notepad with him at all times."

The next hologram was not a nice full body image of a hero in some kind of uniform or costume. It was a flat image of a mugshot of a young Asian man with handsome features and a charming smile. "Last is Fujin, also known as William Tanaka, or inmate three oh six two seven four oh four. An accomplished thief with some control over shadows. As a non-violent offender, he was granted early parole under the condition that he use his expertise and abilities to benefit people instead of benefit from them. We are officially his parole officers."

"We're getting a criminal?" Aasha asked, noticing Maddie was already eyeing the image appraisingly.

"A non-violent criminal, yes. He was tried as an adult since he was seventeen at his arrest, and has been incarcerated in what was known as a white collar facility. It should be noted he never tried to escape, and has no record whatsoever of any kind of confrontations. Batman has already vetted him." Captain Atom said.

"So, we're getting these new people when?" Deke asked, looking to his boss.

"Last week of March, you'll begin collecting them. Information will be forthcoming on that." Captain Atom replied. "Any further questions about your new additions?"

"Yeah, where they stayin'?" Liho asked. The Hacienda fit the five of them just right, adding four more people would create some very cramped quarters.

"Here, which is why they're waiting until the end of March. The Hacienda is getting some serious remodeling done on the League's dime. Fractal has the potential plans, all of you need to review them and agree on which layout serves best." Captain Atom said to his team. "So, let's move on to performance evaluations and budgetary concerns."

* * *

"We gettin' new blood brah." Liho said, lounging in Deke's desk chair. "Kinda excitin'."

"Is that because Pacifica's one of them?" Deke asked, giving his brother a shit-eating grin. When Liho turned red and fidgeted, he knew he had his answer.

"Yeah, there's that. But that ain't all, it like, we goin' places finally, right?" Liho said with an excited tone to his voice. "We might could all be League soon, like full on Justice League. I bet Babs be happy for you."

Deke nodded, stretching out on his bed. "I know she would be. She probably knows already, the woman knows everything."

"Yeah, my sistah smart like that." Liho replied. "You all got anything figured out for your weddin'?"

Deke shook his head. "Naw, not really. Mostly just a guest list." He said, not really sure what he should actually be doing on that front.

"If you two wanna honeymoon in Hawaii, I can hook you two up, make good arrangements so people don't just try to take advantage of you on account of bein' Haole." Liho said, frowning at the use of the term. It literally meant 'people without breath' and it stemmed from the original British explorers who didn't understand the native Hawaiians greeting of sharing breath, but it easily became a slur.

"We still don't know brother, but thank you. You know I'll tell her." Deke said, flicking a hand towards the mini-fridge and summoning a pair of aloe juice bottles, sending one towards Liho. "Hell, I ain't gonna lie, I still don't believe she agreed to it to begin with."

"I do. You know, for a psychic, you don't know much about what go on in a person's head brah." Liho chastised. "She smile and breathe easy around you. That's all that matter really."

"If you say so." Deke said. "I still dunno what the hell I'm doin' though. I mean, I got this, and I got school, and after that, I assume I'll be practicing medicine somewhere or another. I got y'all and I got Babs, and trying to consolidate all of that is sorta killin' me."

Liho nodded. "It do that. I got Pacifica wantin' to get married, and I thought it was just gonna be a whatever and she find someone new, but I like her, you know? Maddie just wanted the D, she never ask me how my day go, or how I'm feelin', or what I'm thinkin' about. Pacifica, she care, she wanna know who I am."

"I can't make up your mind for you bro." Deke said, sitting up on his bed with his feet crossed under him. "You gotta do what feels right."

"Yeah, I'mma keep with Pacifica, see if things go good. She keepin' her knees together but I don't need nookie to be happy. Besides, I know she want me around for more than my junk that way." Liho said with a shrug. "Mahalo Deke."

"Shoots bro, what for?" Deke asked, eyeballing his friend.

"Havin' open ears." Liho answered. "Hey, so, you know if Babs got work next weekend?"

"Kaldur ain't said anything, and Batman's back in Gotham for a while, so she'd just do some patrolling if anything. Why?" Deke asked.

"Queen Mera ain't goin' nowhere, so her guards rotate, and I got the weekend off. You and Babs the only two ain't come to Oahu yet." Liho pointedly reminded Deke.

"Alright. I'll pick up some shifts at the clinic early in the week to free my weekend up. I'll have to do some work at the Mercado though to make sure we got spare cash." Deke said. He didn't like working down there, not because of the conditions necessarily, but because any given day might have vendors with stolen goods, and he did not want to explain why he was arrested in a raid to Barbara's dad.

"Cool, do that. It's a six hour difference, don't forget."

"Yeah, love that Zeta lag." Deke said. "Or, I suppose I could fly us. It'd be an hour and change at my top speed though."

"Zeta brah, you gonna be wiped already. Can't enjoy it when you asleep." Liho suggested.

Yeah, hey!" Deke exclaimed, digging his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the accept button and smiled at the face on the screen. "Hey beautiful." He said to Barbara. Her hair was a mess around her face, but she had the most adorably sleepy expression on.

"Hi you." She said back. "I just woke up."

"Well, good morning then. You caught me and Liho making plans." He said, letting her know he wasn't alone.

"I did?" She asked, yawning. Sunday mornings were her day to sleep in and do absolutely nothing whatsoever, and she took full advantage of it. "Do you want to call me later?"

"No sistah!" Liho called out. "We good here." He added, getting up to lean over Deke's phone to wave at her.

She giggled at the sight of an upside down Koa and waved at him, grateful on her end that she'd been so bundled up in the blankets, since she'd wound up sleeping naked. "Hi Liho, good morning!" She said sweetly.

"Hey sistah, I gotta go look for spare donuts, I'll see you next weekend!" Liho said, and bounced out the door. Barbara giggled again, enjoying a pleasant wake up.

"So, Liho's coming to Gotham next weekend?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, clutching the blanket to her chest.

"No, not so much. He invited us to Oahu is all. Apparently, we're the only people left he hasn't gotten down there for a weekend." Deke said, making a gesture, causing his door to shut gently. "So, I'm doing my shifts early in the week so we've got time."

"I bet a sunset on the west side of the island is seriously romantic." Barbara said a little dreamily, her mind already going to good places. "We've got something to do later tonight though, so don't get carried away."

"What's that?" Deke asked, using his powers to hold his phone while he pulled a sweatshirt on. It was in the sixties in Florida, but Gotham was probably in the lower thirties. He'd learned early on to pay attention to the weather at his destination.

"Kaldur asked us to do some surveillance on a record exec in LA, so we're going to be spending the night watching a coked up, money grubbing piece of crap do terrible things so the FBI can finally nail him." Barbara said with a frown. "So, once you're done there, I've got a whole bunch of bed that's calling your name."

Deke nodded and yawned. "Nap sounds good." He said.

"When did I ever say nap?" Barbara retorted with a wink.


End file.
